
THE 



CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 



AND 



WASHINGTON MONUMENT 



AT- 



lsrJB"W"BTJI?.Gr, IsT. "ST. 



Q 



.-'V- 



Glass 
Book 




Jiiiii 




Official Map of Camp-Ground at New Windsor 
copied fhom the original in the possession of the new york historical society. 

(From Magazine of American History,) 
I Hasbrouck's was Washington's Headquarters. 

J John Ellison's was General Gates's Headquarters. 



THE 



CENTIiNNIAL CELEBRATION 



Washington Monument 



AT NEWBURGH, N. Y. 



Report of the Joint Select Committee. 



WASHINGTON: 

OOVERNMENT PRINTING OKFICp. 

1889. 



i3 



\l 



\ \ f^ ■ 



}k] u% 



THE NEWBURGH MOXUMEXT AND CENTENNIAL 
CELEBRATION. 



CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 

On March 20, i8cS2, Mr. IJc-acli introduced in tlie Hou.se of 
Representatives a joint lesolution authorizing the Secre- 
tary of War to erect at Wa.shiugton's Headquarters, in tlie 
city of Newburgh, New York, a memorial column, coiu- 
memorati\e of the events which occurred at that place dur- 
ing the Re\-olutionary War, and to aid in defraving tlie 
expenses of the Centennial Celebration to be held at New- 
burgh in the year 1S.S3. The resolution was read a first 
and second time, referred to the Committee 011 Public 
Buildings and Grounds, and ordered to be printed. The 
text of the resolution was as follows : 

Joint resoluticm authuri/.ini; llie Secretary of AV'ar to erect at ^Vash- 
iiigtoii's Head(|uarters, in the city of Newburgh, N. Y., a niemorial 
column, and to aid in defraying the expenses of the centennial 
celebration to be held at that city in the year eighteen hundred 
and eighty-three. 

Whereas it is in contemphition by citizens of Newburgh, State of 
New York, to commemorate the proclamation of peace, the dis- 
bandment of the Army, and other notable Revolutionary events, by 
appropriate centennial ceremonies, to be held at Washington's Head- 
quarters, in said city of Newburgh, during the year eighteen hun- 
dred and eighty-three; and 

Whereas the events in question, forming as they did the closing 
scenes in the struggle for Independence, are in every respect worthy 

3 



4 The Centennial Celebration and 

of being commemorated, and should be perpetuated by the erection 
of some suitable memorial structure; and 

Whereas it was near this place, in the building known as "The 
Temple," that Washington, by his appeal to the patriotism of the 
Army, saved the country from military despotism; and 

Wliereas it is intended to purchase the grounds upon which the 
Temple stood, together with so much of the surrounding land as may 
be deemed necessary, and cause to be erected thereon a building of 
frame or logs in the original form or style of the said Temple as near 
as may be; and 

Whereas it is further intended to purchase certain other adjacent 
grounds, wherein rest the remains of the Revolutionary veterans who 
died during the encampment of the Army near Newburgh, and cause 
the same to be properly inclosed, to the end that they may be per- 
petually kept and maintained as a burial-ground : Therefore, 

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled. That a joint select committee 
be created, to consist of five Senators, to be appointed by the presiding 
officer of the Senate, and eight Representatives, to be appointed by 
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whose duty it shall be 
to make, independently of itself or in connection with the trustees of 
Washington's Headquarters and the citizens' committee, all necessary 
arrangements for a befitting celebration of the centennial ceremonies 
commemorative of Washington's refusal to accept a crown, the proc- 
lamation of peace, the disbandment of the Army, and other notable 
Revolutionary events, to be held at Washington's Headquarters, in 
the city of Newburgh and State of New York, in the year eighteen 
hundred and eighty-three. 

Sec. 2. That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, author- 
ized and directed to expend, out of the moneys hereinafter appro- 
priated, a sum not to exceed ten thousand dollars in the erection of 
a suitable monument or column on the grounds belonging to the 
State of New York, and known as Washington's Headquarters, with 
such inscriptions and emblems as may properly commemorate the 
historical events which occurred at Newburgh and vicinity during the 
war of the Revolution. 

Sec. 3. That the sum of thousand dollars, or so much 

thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated for the purpose 
mentioned in the preceding section, and for aiding in defraying thq 



Wasliington Alomtnioil at N(-a'hurgJi^ N. Y. 5 

expenses of said centennial celebration, and for the purposes men- 
tioned in the preaml)le hereto, the same to he disbursed under the 
direction of the said joint committee at sucli times and in such man- 
ner as will best promote the oljjects and intent of this resolution. 

The resolution, as before observed, was referred to the 
Coiniiiittce on Public Buildings and (jronnds. This com- 
mittee was composed as follows : Hon. William S. Shallen- 
berger of Pennsylvania, Hon. J. H. Lewis of Illinois, Hon. 
M. E. Cutts of Iowa, Hon. M. L. De Motte of Indiana, 
Hon. J. A. Scranton of Pennsylvania, Hon. Nicholas Ford 
of Missouri, Hon. J. Hyatt Smith of New York, Hon. 
Philip Cook of Georgia, Hon. J. W. Singleton of Illi- 
nois, Hon. H. A. Herbert of Alabama, Hon. Lewis Beach 
of New York. 



On May 3, 1882, Mr. De MottE, from the Committee on 
Public Buildings and Grounds, submitted the following 
report : 

The Committee on Public Buildings and Crounds, to whom was 
referred the joint resolution " authorizing the Secretary of War to 
erect at Washington's Headquarters, in the city of Newburgh, N. Y., 
a memorial column, and to aid in defraying the expenses of the Cen- 
tennial Celebration to be held at that city in the year 1883," having 
had the same under consideration, submit the following report: 

The events intended to be commemorated by the proposed Centen- 
nial Celebration at Newl)urg]i in 1S83 are of a broad and national 
character. 

It was here, on the 19th day of April, 1783, that the formal proc 
lamation of peace was made, and it was here, on the green in 
front of Washington's Headquarters, that the patriot army was dis- 
banded on the 3d day of November, 1783. On the 2sth day of No- 
vember, 1783, commonly called Evacuation Day, the British troops 
took to their transports, and sullenly quit the land they had come to 
conquer and oppress. 



6 The Cetiicunial Celebration and 

It was at Newburgh, or its immediate vicinity, about four miles 
from the present city, that the Army was encamped after the victory 
at Yorktown. Here those of the patriots who died during the 
encampment were buried. Rude mounds still indicate the spot, but 
no stone marks their resting place. 

It was here, in the building known as tire "Temple," that Wash- 
ington met to confer with his officers upon the famous " Newburgh 
Letters." The Army, without pay and without clothing, had grown 
mutinous at the continued neglect of Congress to provide for their 
wants. In this emergency it was proposed to form a limited mon- 
archy and proclaim Washington dictator, with, eventually, the title 
of king. The proposition was formally made to him, but was 
promptly and indignantly rejected. It was here that Wasiiington, 
Knox, Greene, Gates, St. Clair, Clinton, Wayne, and the Baron Steu- 
ben had their headquarters.* 

There is a peculiar fitness in the place chosen for the celebration 
of these important national events. Newburgh and vicinity, from 
the very commencement of the war to its close, was the scene of 
numerous other notable incidents and events. The Highland Pass, 
as it is called, was regarded as the key to the whole struggle. The 
object of the British was to get possession of the Hudson, and, by 
uniting the forces of Burgoyne in the North with those of Howe in 
the South, cut off the Eastern from the Middle and Southern States. 
To checkmate the enemy Washington had taken early measures, by 
throwing up forts on the mountain spurs overlooking the river. The 
passage of vessels was to be obstructed by chains, booms, and 
chevaux de frise stationed at the narrow points. 

To secure the control of the Highland Pass the British resorted to 
both assault and stratagem. The capture of Forts Clinton and 
Montgomery and the treason of Arnold are incidents of this region, 
which, with scores of others, make it rich with Revolutionary interest. 

Among the other reasons for the proposed celebration may be 
given the fact that the year 1883 will furnish the last opportunity for 
commemorating by centennial ceremonies any of our Revolution- 
ary events; and it so happens that the events it will commemorate 

* The inaccuracies in statements of fact in this and preceding paragraphs will lie 
noticed by the readers of history. Having been made in an official report, for the 
authorship of which the committee was not responsible, they can not now be 
eliminated. 



U'asJ/iiigtoii Moiiiniioi/ al iVfTchiirgh, N. Y. 7 

are unsurpassed in grandeur and significance by any that preceded 
them. 

During the last six years we have had several centennial celebra- 
tions, beginning with that at Bunker Hill and ending with that at 
Yorktovvn. None of these celebrations were in honor of Washing- 
ton. They commemorated military events. The time has now come 
to pay a fitting tribute to Washington, not as a military hero, but as 
a ))atriot. By his refusal to accept the crown he saved to America 
the liberties won by the sword, and set an example of lofty patriot- 
ism which has probably never been equaled, certainly never sur- 
)jassed, in the history of mankind. 

No detailed plan for the proposed celebration has been pertected 
as yet. It will be left to tlie joint committee of Congress to be ap- 
]]ointed under the resolution. A general idea, however, of what 
would be proper to the occasion has been submitted. 

It is proposed to erect at Washington's Headc|uarters, on the bluft" 
overlooking the river, a plain shaft or column, with inscriptions com- 
memorative of the most important events occurring at this point. 
For this purpose, it is thought, the sum of ,$10,000 will be adequate. 

It is further jjroposed to jiurchase the site on which the Temple 
stood and as much of the surrounding ground as may be deemed 
necessary, and erect thereon a structure of frame or logs in the orig- 
inal style of the Temple. 

It is also proposed to buy the land in which the Revolutionary 
veterans are interred and have it substantially inclosed, to the end 
that it may be preserved from future desecration. 

In addition, it is proposed to hav'e, on some day in the year 1883 
to be hereafter designated, a centennial jubilee at Washington's Head- 
quarters. Military detachments from such of the original States as 
had troops at the encampment in 1783 are to be invited. The trans- 
portation and subsistence of these delegations will be paid out of the 
general fund. 

To make the land purchases and defray the necessary expenses 
of the celebration it is estimated that the sum of $50,000 will be re- 
quired. Of this amount the city of Newburgh has already raised 
55,000 by tax, and the citizens have promised an additional 55,000 
by voluntary subscription. A bill is now pending in the legislature 
of the State of New York for an appropriation by the State of 
$25,000 more. 



8 The Centennial Celebration and 

Your committee is of opinion that a memorial shaft, not to ex- 
ceed ^10,000 in cost, should be erected by the General Government, 
and that the sum of $25,000 should be appropriated to ])ay for such 
shaft and aid in defraying the expenses of the celebration and for 
the other purposes mentioned in the preamble. 

The joint resolution is therefore reported back, with a recommen- 
dation that the blank on page 3, section 3, line 1, be filled with the 
words " twenty -five," and that, as thus amended, it do pass. 

On June 13, 1882, the following proceedings were had in 
the House: 

Mr. Beach. 1 ask unanimous consent to have taken up for im- 
mediate action a joint resolution in honor of the memory of Wash- 
ington, and to protect the graves of our Revolutionary sires from 
further desecration. I do not believe there is a member on this 
floor who will cast a vote against this resolution. Its consideration 
will take but a few moments. I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union be dis- 
charged from the consideration of House joint resolution No. 176, 
and that it be now put on its passage. 

The Clerk read the resolution. (For copy of resolution, see ante.) 

Mr. HoLMAN. Mr. Speaker, I do not rise for the purpose of object- 
ing to this resolution, but to reserve the right of objection for a 
moment. If it is determined to enter upon this celebration (and 
there seems to be a propriety in it), I hope that the sum to be ex- 
pended will be definitely specified. If the sum named in the resolu- 
tion is not sufficient, let a sufticient sum be fixed now; and let us 
have no exceeding of the authority granted by Congress on the part 
of those who may be named as the committee. 

Mr. Beach. If the gentleman from Indiana will permit me, I wish 
to explain that there is an amendment 

Mr. Hoi.MAN. I suggest to my friend to add an amendment in the 
following words : 

No greater sum shall be expended for said purposes tlian tlie sums above men- 
tioned. 

Mr. Beach. An amendment has been prepared by the gentleman 
from Maine [Mr. Dingley] which I think will meet the views of the 
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Holman]. 



Wiis/i/iig/on Moiuimcnl at Ne-a'biirgh^ N. Y. 
Mr. DiNGLEY. I ofter the following amendment 



Mr. Robinson, of Massachusetts. Let the amendment be read, 
subject to objection. 

Mr. Burrows, of Michigan. I desire to reserve the right to object 
to consideration until after the amendment is read. 

The Speaker. That may be done. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Add ,it the end of section 3 the following words: 

"/'/■(Tvi/tv/, That no part of tlie amount approjiriateil by this act shall he paid 
excejil on liills and vouchers approved by the Secretary of War as just andpro])er 
charges, and that no bills shall be contr.acted on account of the 1,'nitcd States in 
excess of the appropriation hereby made." 

Mr. HoLM.AN. I iiope the amendment will he accepted by the 
gentleman from New York, and that it will i)e adopted. 

Mr. Burrows, of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, when this matter was 
before the House on a previous occasion 1 objected to its considera- 
tion, for the reason that I was apprehensive it might lay the founda- 
tion for a repetition of the Yorktown aftair, where the United States 
Government appropriated S!4o,ooo, and was afterwards called upon to 
make up a deficiency of $32,000. Now, if this bill can be so guarded 
that the gentlemen appointed to take charge of the proposed cele- 
bration shall not feel authorised or be allowed to go beyond the 
amount fi.xed by the bill and involve the Government in any future 
liability, I have no objection to it. If the amendment projiosed by 
the gentleman from Maine covers that point, I am content. 

Mr. DiNGLEY. It not only meets it, but goes a little further. 

Mr. HoLMAN. The joint resolution is allowed to come in with the 
understanding that that amendment shall be accepted. 

Mr. Beach. I accept it. I think it is a wise and salutary pro- 
vision. 

Mr. Burrows, of Michigan. It was impossible to hear the amend- 
ment when it was read, and I ask that the Clerk again read it. 

The amendment was again rea<l. 

Mr. Burrows, of Michigan. I think that w^ill meet the objection, 
and I therefore consent to the present consideration of the measure. 

Mr. Springer. I want the joint resolution so guarded that we shall 
have no repetition of what occurred in the Yorktown celebration. 

Mr. Robinson, of New York. That is all provided for, and I 
hope the joint resolution will be permitted to pass. 



10 The Ceutenmal Celebration and 

The Speaker. Is there any further objection to the joint resolu- 
tion ? 

Mr. DiNGLEY. I move to modify my amendment so as to insert, 
after the word " bills," the words " or liabilities incurred." 

Mr. Springer. I hope that modification will be adopted and no 
objection made to the joint resolution, on the understanding we are 
to have no deficiencies for whisky or anything else. [Laughter.] 

The amendment as modified was agreed to. 

Mr. Beach. The centennial ceremonies to be held next year at 
Newburgh, on the Hudson, are intended to commemorate, among 
other things, an event in the life of George Washington which in my 
opinion is more noteworthy than any other in the long career of this 
most illustrious man. The event to which I allude occurred at the 
close of the war. The Army, after the victory at Yorktown, had been 
withdrawn to the vicinity of Newburgh, where it went into camp. 
Disaffection, almost amounting to mutiny, existed not only among 
the men, but among the officers. Their pay was in arrears, and they 
had become impressed with the conviction that upon the declaration 
of peace they would be turned adrift on the world in a penniless con- 
dition and with no provision for their future support. Eight years 
of military service had rendered them unfit for the pursuits of civil 
life. 

That I may not be ch'arged with exaggeration, let me quote from 
a letter written by Washington to the Secretary of War, dated Octo- 
ber 2, 1782 : 

When I see, he writes, such a number of men, goaded by a thousand stings of 
reflection on the past and of anticipation on the future, about to be turned into the 
world, soured by penury and what they call the ingratitude of the public, involved 
in debts, without one farthing of money to carry them home, after having spent 
the flower of their days and many of them their patrimonies in establishing the 
freedom and independence of their country, and suffered everything that human 
nature is capable of enduring on this side of death — I repeat it, that when T con- 
sider these irritating circumstances, without one thing to soothe their feelings or 
dispel the gloomy prospects, I can not avoid apprehending that a train of evils 
will follow of a very serious and distressing nature. 

******* 

I wish not to heighten the shades of the picture so far as the reality would jus- 
tify me in doing it. I could give anecdotes of patriotism and distress which have 
scarcely ever been paralleled, never surpassed, in the history of mankind. But, 
you may rely upon it, the patience and long-suffering of this Army are almost ex- 



05 

o 




U'(isJ/i)!g/oii Moiniiiif'iit at N(7i'/>iirgh, X. 5'. 11 

liausted, and that there never was so great a spirit of discontent as at this instant. 
Wiiile in the held I think it may be kept from breakinj^ out into acts of outrage, 
but when we retire into winter quarters, unless the storm is previously dissipated, 
I can not be at ease respecting the conseiiuences. 

Appeals to Congress had been made, but made in vain. That 
body was powerless to act, because of the failure of the several States 
to contribute the moneys which had been levied upon them respect- 
ively. 

In this emergency it is not at all strange that the Army in camp, 
with no prospect of further service in the field, should have turned 
its attention to its wrongs, actual or fancied. The ills it suffered were 
very naturally attributed to the temporary confederated form of gov- 
ernment which had been adopted. While the great majority of the 
.-\rmy as well as the people were firm in their conviction that the 
changed condition of affairs had not changed the principle involved 
in the struggle — viz, that the several separate Colonies were, and of 
right ought to be, "free and independent States," as proclaimed m 
the Declaration of Independence — there were those who regarded 
indepentlence as but a change from one monarchial and consolidated 
government to that of another, or one of their own creation. A limited 
monarchy, modeled after that of the mother country, was thought by 
them to be best suited to the new empire. These views were com- 
municated to the commander-in-chief. The instrument of commu- 
nication was Col. Lewis Nicola, a veteran officer, to whom Wash- 
ington was warmly attached. He was chosen on account of his 
close intimacy with Washington. After speaking of the different 
forms of government and alluding to the great abilities of Wash- 
ington, so frequently displayed throughout the war. Colonel Nicola 
proceeded : 

Some people have so connected the idea of tyranny and monarchy as to find it 
very difficult to separate them. It may therefore be requisite to give the head of 
such a constitution as I propose some title apparently more moderate; but, if all 
other things were once adjusted, I believe strong arguments might be produced 
for admitting the title of king, which I conceive woulil be attended witli some 
material advantages. 

This is what history has figuratively called "the tender of the 
crown." 

A discussion of the merits of the question involved in this assumed 
"tender" may not be strictly proper at this tune. Admit, however. 



12 The Centennial Celebration and 

that Colonel Nicola's letter was only what he claimed it to be, and 
which all the attendant circumstances indicate — viz, that it was but a 
discussion of a form of government and not a "tender" from any 
one but Colonel Nicola himself — it was nevertheless an opportunity 
of which Washington could have availed himself to establish a mon- 
archy. We have already referred to the mutinous condition of the 
troops. They were ripe for any change that promised relief. We all 
of us know the unparalleled hold Washington had on the affections 
of the Army. They believed in him ; they trusted him. Where he 
led they were willing and ready to follow. They never doubted him. 
Their distrust was of Congress ; never of their commander. His 
devotion to their interests in camp and field had been displayed on 
too many occasions for them to question his friendship. He was 
their leader, their guide, their friend. All eyes turned to him now 
for extrication from difificulties and sufferings as great, if not greater, 
than those of Valley Forge. The significance of the proposition 
will be apparent if we consider what would have been the result 
of its acceptance. What would have prevented his marching the 
Army on Princeton, dispersing Congress, and usurping the Govern- 
ment ? 

Another fact must be remembered. The Army at that time em- 
braced all, or nearly all, who were capable of bearing arms. It had 
control of the munitions of war. It was irresistible. No resistance 
could have been organized against it. The people would have sub- 
missively bent their necks to the yoke of military despotism, for they 
had not the power to oppose it. We must not compare the situation 
then with the situation now. Because such a usurpation is impossible 
now, we must not conclude it was impossible then. All that it re- 
quired was Washington's assent. If he had given the wished-for 
"yes," what would have been the fate of this continent and the people 
destined to populate it ? It may be truly said, the destiny of a 
nation trembled on the motion of his lips. His answer to the over- 
ture is happily preserved, and I will read it, for it can not be read too 
often : 

Sir, witli a mixture of great surprise and astonishment I have read with attention 
the sentiments you have submitted to my perusal. Be assured, sir, no occurrence in 
the course of this war has given me more painful sensations than your information 
of there being such ideas existing in the Army as you have expressed, and which 
1 must view witli abhorrence and reprehend with severity. For the present the 



]Vashiii!^ton Mniiiiuuiil at Nczvhui-gh, N. Y. V^ 

communication of tliem will rcbl in my own bosom, unless some further agitation 
of the matter shall make a disclosure necessary. I am much at a loss to conceive 
what part of my conduct could have given encouragement to an address which to 
me seems big with the greatest mischiefs that can befall my country. If I am not 
deceived in the knowledge of myself, you could not have found a jierson to whom 
your scliemes are more disagreeable. At the same time, in justice to my own feel- 
ings, I must aild, that no man possesses a more serious wish to see ample justice 
done to the Army than I do ; and, as far as my power and influence in a constitu- 
tional way extend, they shall be employed to the utmost of my abilities to effect it 
should there be any occasion. Let me conjure you, then, if you have any regard 
for your country, concern for yourself or posterity, or respect for me, to banish these 
thoughts from your mind, and never communicate, as from yourself or any one 
else, a sentiment of the like nature. 

These words, Mr. Speaker, deserve a place on the memorial shaft 
contemplated by this resolution. They should be emblazoned on 
the solid granite in golden capitals. They should be taught to our 
children, that they in turn may teach them to theirs and hand them 
from generation to generation and from age to age down to " the 
last syllable of recorded time." Search the pages of history, and 
fmd me, if you can, a similar instance of lofty devotion to the princi- 
ples of government, which were embodied in the "Declaration" for 
which he had struggled and the " Independence " which he had 
achieved. 

May we not safely say that Washington refused a crown which he 
might have grasjjed, and that we are to-day enjoying the fruits of his 
exalted patriotism ? 

I wish, Mr. Speaker, I might dwell upon this memorable letter, but 
time forbids, and I must pass on. 

The position taken by Washington convinced the Army that what- 
ever might be done in the future for a redress of their grievances 
would have to be done without his knowledge. The language of his 
letter, strong though it was, did not allay the jniblic mutterings. A 
delegation of three officers had lieen sent to lay before Congress the 
hardships of the troops and urge relief It returned without success. 
On the loth of March, 1783, an anonymous paper was circulated 
through the camp, calling a meeting the next day to take into consid- 
eration proper measures for the enforcement of the rights so unjustly 
withheld by Congress. The meeting was to be one of officers ; one 
from each company and a delegate from the medical staff. With a 
view to inflame their passions, an anonymous address was privately 



14 Tlie Ccnteiuiial Celebration and 

circulated. This address was couched in such stirring language, 
and portrays so vividly the situation of the Army, that I beg atten- 
tion while I (juote from it : 

After a pursuit of seven long years [observed the writer] the object for which 
we set out is at length brought within our reach. Yes, my friends, that sufiering 
courage of yours was active once ; it has conducted the United States of America 
through a doubtful and bloody war ; it has placed her in the chair of independ- 
ency, and peace returns to bless — whom? A country willing to redress your 
wrongs, cherish your worth, and reward your services; a country courting your 
return to private life with tears of gratitude and smiles of admiration, longing 
to divide with you that independency which your gallantry has given and those 
riches which your wounds have preserved? Is this the case? Or is it rather a 
country that tramples upon your rights, disdains your cries, and insults your dis- 
tresses ? Have you not more than once suggested your wishes and made known 
your wants to Congress — wants and wishes which gratitude and policy should have 
anticipated rather than evaded? And have you not lately, in the meek language 
of entreating memorials, begged from their justice what you could no longer expect 
from their favor ? How have you been answered ? Let the letter which you are 
called upon to consider to-morrow make reply. 

If this, then, lie your treatment while the swords you wear are necessary for the 
defense of America, what have you to expect from peace, when your voice shall 
sink and your strength dissipate by division ; when those very swords, the instru- 
ments and companions of your glory, shall be taken from your sides, and no remain- 
ing mark of military distinction left but your wants, infirmities, and scars ? Can 
you then consent to be the only sufferers by this Revolution, and, retiring from the 
field, grow old in poverty, wretchedness, and contempt ? Can you consent to wade 
through the vile mire of dependency, and owe the miserable remnant of that life 
to cnarity which has hitherto been spent in honor? If you can, go, and carry 
with you the jest of Tories and the scorn of Whigs; the ridicule and, what is ~ 
worse, the pity of the world! Go starve, and be forgotten! But if your spirits 
should revolt at this ; if you have sense enough to discover and spirit sufficient to 
oppose tyranny, under whatever garb it may assume — whether it be the plain coat 
of republicanism or the splendid robe of royalty — if you have yet learned to dis- 
criminate between a people and a cause, between men and principles, awake, 
attend to your situation, and redress yourselves ! If the present moment be lost, 
every future effort is in vain ; and your threats then will be as empty as your 
entreaties now. 

The danger of an appeal like this in the then inflamed state of 
public opinion may be readily imagined. As soon as the paper was 
brought to the attention of General Washington he took means to 
counteract its effect. He knew that the feeling of discontent was 
too deep-seated to be checked, and, with his usual circumspection, 
he concluded at once to take the movement in hand and direct 



Washiiii^lon Moiuiineiil at Neivburgli^ N. Y. 15 

its course. He therefore issued a general order calling the ofticers 
together for substantially the same purpose, but changing the day from 
the nth to the 15th of March. This would allow time for reflection 
and afford opportunity for preparation. On the day appointed the 
officers gathered at the designated meeting place. The building in 
which they met was called the " Temple." This was a more impos- 
ing edifice than some writers suppose. It was not a mere " log 
structure witli a barrack roof," as some have assumed, but a framed 
building, described by General Heath in his " Memoirs" as being 
" handsomely finished, with a spacious hall, sufficient to contain a 
brigade of troops on Lord's days, with an orchestra (or gallery) at 
one end" and vaulted ceiling. At either end of this hall were rooms 
for quartermaster and commissary departments, meetings for officers, 
etc., and " on the top was a cupola and flag-staff." It stood in the 
present town of New Windsor, some five miles back of Newluirgh. 
General Washington, on the recommendation of Chaplain I>ans, 
first approved its erection, and it was subsequently carried to com- 
pletion by General Gates. It was used for worship on the Sabbath, 
for meetings during the week, occasionally for festive purposes, and 
sometimes by the masonic fraternity. It was in the Tem]:ile also that 
the officers met and established the Society of the Cincinnati. At its 
door the proclamation of peace, of which I shall presently speak, was 
read to the troops. In speaking of this building, the historian has 
aptly said : 

This spot is consecrated by one of the loftiest exhibitions of true patriotism with 
which our Revolutionary history abounds. Here love of country and devotion to 
exalted principles achieved a wonderful triumph over the seductive power of self 
and individual interest, goaded into rebellion against higher motives liy the lash 
of apparent injustice and personal suffering. 

Mr. Speaker, the resolution has in view the reconstruction of the 
Temple in its original simplicity. The cost of purchasing the ground 
and erecting the building will be tjuite inconsiderable. 

But let us return to our story. The meeting in the Teinple took 
place on Saturday, the 15th of March, 1783. Washington had not 
been idle during the few previous days. He had taken the officers 
aside one by one, and cautioned them against intemperate resolu- 
tions. When the meeting organized General Gates occupied the 
chair. Washington arose, and, remarking that he had committed 



16 The Centcimial Celebration and 

his sentiments to writing, began to read from the manuscript. He 
had not gone far when he haUed. He took out his spectacles, and, 
while adjusting them to their place, remarked that he had grown 
gray in their service, and now found himself growing blind. He 
then proceeded with his address, which was intended to smooth 
the troubled waters and restore confidence. But let him speak for 
himself: 

If my conduct heretofore [said he] has not evinced to you that I have been a 
faithful friend to tlie Army, my declaration of it at this time would be equally un- 
availing and improper. But as I was among the first who embarked in the cause 
of our common country; as I have never left your side one moment but when 
called from you on public duty ; as I have been the constant companion and wit- 
ness of your distresses and not among the last to feel and acknowledge your 
merits ; as I have ever considered my own military reputation as inseparably con- 
nected with that of the Army; as my heart has ever expanded with joy when I 
have heard its praises, and my indignation has arisen when the mouth of detrac- 
tion has been opened against it, it can scarcely be supposed at this last stage of 
the war that I am indifferent to its interests. 

After recalling the cheerful obedience of the Army at all times, he 
went on to say : 

Let me entreat you, gentlemen, on your part, not to take any measures which, 
viewed in the calm light of reason, will lessen the dignity and sully the glory you 
have hitherto maintained. Let me request you to rely on the plighted faith of 
your country, and place a full confidence in the purity of the intentions of Con- 
gress ; that, previous to your dissolution as an army, they will cause all your 
accounts to be fairly liquidated, as directed in the resolutions which were published 
to you two days ago; and that they will adopt the most effectual measures in their 
power to render ample ju.stice to you for your faithful and meritorious services; 
and let me conjure you, in the name of our common country, as you value your 
own sacred honor, as you respect the rights of humanity, and as you regard the 
military and national character of America, to express your utmost horror and 
detestation of the man who wishes, under any specious pretenses, to overturn the 
liberties of our country, and who wickedly attempts to open the flood-gates of 
civil discord and deluge our rising empire in blood. 

This jjatriotic and stirring appeal had its effect. Major Shaw, of 
the Army, who was present, thus writes of it : 

Happy for America that she has a patriot Army, and equally so that Washington 
is its leader. I rejoice in the opportunities I have had of seeing this great man in 
a variety of situations ; calm and intrepid when the b.attle raged, patient and per- 
severing under the pressure of misfortune; moderate and possessing himself in 
the full career of victory. Great as these qualifications deservedly render him. 



U'asliiiiglon Moiiiiiiifiit al Nia'lmrgli^ N. Y. 17 

he never appeared to me more truly so than at the assembly we have been speak- 
ing of. On other occasions he has been supported by the exertions of an army 
and the countenance of his friends, but on this he stood single and alone. There 
was no saying where the passions of an army, which were not a little inflamed, 
might lead ; but it was generally allowed that further forbearance was dangerous, 
and moderation had ceased to be a virtue. Under these circumstances he ap- 
peared, not at the head of his troops, but, as it were, in opposition to them ; and 
for a dreadfal moment the interests o*" the Army and its general seemed to lie in 
competition. He spoke ; every doubt was dispelled, and the tide of patriotism 
rolled again in its wonted course. Illustrious man ! What he says of the Army 
may with ei|ual justice be applied to his own character : " Had this day lieen 
wanting, the world had never seen the last stage of perfection to which lumian 
nature is capable of attaining." 

Mr. Speaker, by this prompt and vigorous action the tide which 
was fast setting toward anarchy was turned back. As soon as Wash- 
ington left the building, which he did u|ion completing his address, 
General Knox quickly moved and General Rufus Putnam seconded 
resolutions of confidence in their commander and trust in Congress, 
which were unanimously carried. Thus ended another of those 
critical periods in our Revolution when a misstep might have precipi- 
tated untold miseries and turned the fate of a nation. 

We come now to another of those interesting events which we 
propose to commemorate at the approaching centennial. After the 
victory at Yorktown, as already observed, the Army went into winter 
quarters in New Windsor, with headquarters at Newburgh, and there 
it remained about a year and a half. Yorktown had substantially 
ended the war, but before disbanding the Army it was necessary to 
settle on the terms of peace. These were the subject of negotiation 
at Paris, and great delay occurred in their satisfactory arrangement. 
Washington was extremely anxious to hold the troops together, from 
fear that if the peace negotiations should fail it would be impossible 
to re-assemble them when once dispersed. Finally the preliminary 
treaty was signed, and Congress issued its proclamation suspending 
hostilities. It was received by Washington on the 17th of April, 
1783, at his headquarters at Newburgh. 

The building in which he had established his head(iuarters in the 
early part of the previous year is deserving of a passing notice. It is 
one of the most quaint and remarkable structures in the country. 
Piuilt of rough stone, with a low Dutch roof, on a bluff overhanging the 
Hudson, it attracts tlie attention of tire millions who travel up and 
Ji. Mi.s. 601 3 



18 The Cctilcuiiial Cclrhrntinu a art 

down the river. The interior is no less remarkable. The huge open 
fire-places and the room with seven doors and one window excite 
the surprise of the visitor. It is surrounded now by a beautiful park, 
kept at all times in the best of order. The property is owned by 
the State of New York, and is managed by a board of trustees, com- 
posed of citizens of Newburgh. The trustees have gathered here a 
large number of valuable and rare Revolutionary manuscripts and 
relics, mainly by bequest from Mr. Enoch Carter, the catalogue of 
which fills about seventy-five pages. The board of trustees are 
required to preserve the building in the precise condition it was when 
occujned by Washington, and to maintain a flag-staff, with a flag, 
upon which must be inscribed the words, "Liberty and Union, now 
and forever, one and inseparable." 

This is the building in which Washington opened the packet fron' 
Congress containing the jiroclamation of peace. The next day h< 
issued the following order : 

Headquarters, Newburgh, April i8, 1783. 

• The Commander-in-Chief orders the cessation of hostilities between the United 
States of America and the King of Great Britain to be publicly proclaimed to- 
morrow at 12 o'clock at the new building, and that the proclamation which will 
be communicated herewith will be read to-morrow evening at the head of every 
regiment and corps of the Army ; after which the chaplain will render thanks to 
Almighty God for all His mercies, particularly for His overruling the wrath of man 
to His own glory and causing the rage of war to cease among the nations. 

The " new building " referred to in this order was the Temple of 
which I have already spoken. In conformity to the order, the proc- 
lamation was read to the Army on the 19th day of April, 1783 — ^just 
eight years to a day after the battle of Lexington. It is a remarkable 
coincidence that the war of the Revolution should have begun and 
ended on the same day of the month. The day is thus doubly noted 
in our national calendar. 

On the 19th day of April, 1783, there was great rejoicing. The 
people mingled with the soldiers in expressing their congratulations. 
The discharge of cannon and muskets was kept up during the day, 
and when night came the mountains blazed with signal-fires. Shouts 
and singing of a happy and disenthralled people were heard in every 
direction. Joy reigned supreme. Washington was quick to appre- 
ciate the enthusiasm of the populace, and that it might have full 
vent he resolved to set aside a day in the following week for a further 



20 The Ccntciinial Celebration and 

I have already said, Mr. Speaker, that the whole Army had gone 
into camp at Newburgh and vicinity. The encampment, as it was 
called, had been marked out by General Heath. The groimd which 
it occupied is now used as ordinary farm land. The quarters for the 
soldiers consisted of log huts, built on the slope of the hill, with reg- 
ular streets, to facilitate access from one section to another. General 
Heath says the encampment was "regular and beautiful," and Chas- 
tellux says the " huts were wooden houses, well built and well covered, 
having garrets, and even cellars." The subordinate officers were pro- 
vided with barracks near the Temple. The commanding generals 
had their headquarters within a radius of five miles. General Gates, 
who was in command, had his headquarters at the Ellison House, 
and Baron Steuben had his headquarters at Fishkill, within convenient 
distance. These various houses are yet in a good state of preserva- 
tion and are the objects of increasing interest to tourists. 

The troops occupying the encampment embraced detachments 
from all the Northern States. It has been said that New Jersey was 
not represented, because of a law that forbade the encampment of 
New Jersey men on other than their own territory. But I think this 
is a mistake. The recently-discovered order, which I have read, 
assigns to the Jersey Battalion and the Jersey Regiment the scjuaring 
of a certain number of logs before the following Monday. This 
assignment of labor would not liave been made unless there had been 
on the ground Jersey men to comply with the direction. The only 
Southern States represented were Maryland and Virginia. 

It will be remembered that the Army occupied the encampment 
for about a year and a half. During this time many of the soldiers 
died. They were buried on a slight elevation to the east of the 
Temple. The spot is yet well marked by the raised hillocks, although 
overgrown with trees. The site of the old encampment, Mr. Speaker, 
is indeed hallowed ground. No spot on this continent is so replete 
with Revolutionary interest; none so consecrated by patriotic asso- 
ciations. Here yet may be seen the broken walls of the commis- 
sary store-house and the rude flagging which formed the hearth-stones 
of the sheltering huts. Here also is to be found the mounded earth, 
devoid of head-stone, yet speaking in silent tones of the patriot dead. 
The ruthless plow has thus far spared their graves. Let us, by our 
action to-day, preserve this God's acre from future desecration. Let 
us repair the nation's neglect. Let us do a simple act of justice, 



,r- I 






v^f II i ^ ^ 




o 
m 



5 O 
n > 
o H 



3 < 

I o 







Washington Moniiniiiit at Nc~<chiire;li, .V. I'. 21 

alread)' too long delayed, to the veterans who yielded their lives on 
the altar of their country's freedom. Let us, from this time forth, 
guard the sacred sjiot with zealous care, and leave it as a monu- 
ment of love and veneration to our children and our children's 
children. 

Mr. Speaker, I speak with feeling on this subject. This historic 
ground is in view of my own humble home at the foot of the Corn- 
wall Mountains. Living as I do within rifle range of the old en- 
campment, it is but natural I should feel the impulse and influence 
of these grand associations. Upon the farm I till I have upturneil 
with the plow cannon-balls which were discharged a century ago. 
The road which fronts my residence is the same old Revolutionary 
road over which the victorious Army marched on its way from York- 
town to New Windsor. But a mile distant, on the mountain side, still 
flows the " Continental Spring," where the Army halted to (juench its 
thirst. Surrounded by such associations I am constantly reminded 
of the men of the days gone by. I glory in their deeds. I am 
moved by the same sentiment which Sallust says actuated Quintus 
Maximus and Publius Scipio: Cum majorum imagines i/i/inreiifi/r. 
vehementissimt' sibi animuiii ad viiiiifem a<ceiiJi : " When they beheld 
the images of their ancestors, their minds were strongly incited to 
deeils of honor." 

1 now propose, Mr. Speaker, to consider another event occurring 
at this place in 1783, which will come in for its share of attention 
during the centennial ceremonies of next year. I refer to the dis- 
bandment of the Army. This occurred practically by furloughs 
immediately following the proclamation of April 19. Under this 
order regiments and battalions in whole bodies left the encampment 
until the 22d of June, when, by Washington's order, the remainder, 
consisting of short-term men and numbering less than one thousanil, 
were marched to West Point, and the encampment broken up. The 
liuildings were soon after sold by auction, and finally Washington 
followed on the i8th of August. Rapid as was this disintegration, 
it was not the less filled with touching incidents. Tradition tells us 
that Washington addressed his old and faithful guard at headciuarters 
and parted with them in tears on the 9th of June. Drawn from the 
regiments by detail for that service, they were furloughed with their 
commands, and were not again on duty. Other accounts come to 
us more immediately from the encampment proper. Although not a 



22 The Centennial Celebration ajid 

personal witness, Dr. Thacher's statement is regarded as of authority 
in his description of some of the parting scenes. He writes : 

No description would be adequate to the painful circumstances of the parting. 
* * * Both officers and soldiers, long unaccustomed to the affairs of private 
life, turned loose on the world to starve and to become the prey to vulture specu- 
lators. Never can that melancholy day be forgotten when friends, companions for 
seven long years in joy and in sorrow, were torn asunder without the hope of ever 
meeting again and with prospects of a miserable subsistence in future. 

Major North, who was a participant, says : 

The inmates of the same tent or hut for seven long years grasped each other's 
hands in silenl agony, to go, they knew not whither. All recollection of the art 
to thrive by civil occupation lost, or to the youthful never known; their hard- 
earned military knowledge worse than useless; and with their badge of brother- 
hood, a mark at which to point the finger of suspicion — ignoble, vile suspicion ! — 
to be cast out on a world long since by them forgotten ; severed from friends and 
all the joys and griefs which soldiers feel ! Griefs, while hope remained ; when 
shared by numliers, almost joy! To go in silence and alone and poor and hope- 
less, it was too hard ! On that sad day, how many hearts were wrung ! I saw it 
all, nor will the scene be ever blurred or blotted from my view. 

Baron Steuben's letter, recently published in Kapp's life of that 
illustrious general, is also in testimony, and may be referred to with 
profit. It may be added that the Army was never re-assembled. 
Those on furlough were discharged at their homes, under proclama- 
tion of Congress of October i8. .4 small detachment remained in 
garrison at West Point and other posts, but beyond these the Army 
of the Revolution had, long prior to November 3, the tlay fixed for 
the final termination of its period of service, " passed from mortal 
sight into immortal history." 

It has been suggested that making the appropriation asked for by 
this resolution will be establishing a bad precedent ; that the Treasury 
will be called upon in the future for numerous projects of a kindred 
nature. My answer to that is, the events now about to be commem- 
orated were the closing events of the Revolution, and furnish the 
last opportunity for a centennial celebration until another hundred 
years have rolled by. My further answer is, the precedent, whether 
good or bad, has been too frequently made in favor of such apjiro- 
priations to be now departed from. 

The first instance will be found in the action of the Continental 
Congress, away back in 1776, when 5300 were voted for a monument 




Washington Parting with his Guahd at Headquarters, June 7, 1783. 



Washington Monument at Nca'tnirgh^ N. V. 23 

to General Montgomery. The following year similar appropriations 
were made in honor of General Warren, General Wooster, General 
Herkimer, and General Nash. In 1780 like action was taken in 
behalf of Baron de Kalb In 1781 Congress passed appropriations 
for monuments to Brigadier-General Davidson, Brigadier-General 
Scriven, and General Nathaniel Greene. In the same year Congress 
passed the resolution relating to Yorktown. which, after slumbering a 
century, was executed through the legislation of the Forty-sixth Con- 
gress. Coming down to more recent years, and passing over the 
intervening ones for which I have made no search, we find that 
Congress has approjjriated, for Groton Heights, $5,000 to repair 
monument and 55,000 for celebration ; for Cowpens, #20,000 for a 
monument ; for Saratoga, «;3o,ooo ; for Bennington, $40,000 ; for 
Yorktown, $20,000 for celebration and $100,000 for monument. 

The action of Congress on these various occasions met with uni- 
versal favor. Public sentiment approved it , and so it will always 
be. The great American heart will never fail to resjiond to the 
claims of patriotism. Tlie reverence it feels for the men of the Rev- 
olution and their noble deeds will strengthen as time rolls on, and 
the day is coming when every important event, from Lexington to 
Yorktown, will be marked with its appropriate monument ; and it is 
right that it should be so. Horatio Seymour has aptly said : 

No people ever held lasting power or greatness who did not reverence the 
virtues of their fathers, or who did not show forth this reverence by material 
and striking testimonials. 

The feeling which prompts to these commemorations is instinctive 
to the human race. It is not peculiar to any nationality. All nations 
in all ages have yielded to it. In very early times cairns were built 
to mark the site of decisive battles, and ballads were composed de- 
scriptive of important events. In Greece, the anniversaries of heroes 
were celebrated by libations, sacrifices, and crowning of their tombs 
with garlands. With like intent were erected the obelisks of Egypt, 
with their memorial inscriptions; also the sculptured halls of Ninevah. 
The Jews have celebrated the deliverance of the Hebrew nation for 
over three thousand years with their annual Passover. Draco, whose 
laws are said to have been written in blood, as typical of their sever- 
ity, ordained it to be a sacred and inviolable law to pay public hom- 
age to the national heroes. 



24 The Centennial Celebraiinn and 

But why, Mr. Speaker, should I multiply instances? We all of us 
know, we all of us feel in the bottom of our hearts, that in voting the 
appropriation asked for in this resolution we are doing what is right 
and proper. We are simply stopping by the wayside, as it were, in 
this weary pilgrimage of life to gather garlands for the brow of him 
who was " First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his 
countrymen." 

The joint resohxtion, as amended, was ordered to be 
engrcssed and read a third time; and, being engrossed, it 
was accordingly read the third time and pa.ssed. 

On the same day, to wit, June 13, 1882, the joint resolu- 
tion was, in the Senate, read twice by its title and referred 
to the Committee on Military Affairs. 

This committee was composed as follows: Hon. John A. 
Logan of Illinois, Hon. James Donald Cameron of Pennsyl- 
vania, Hon. Benjamin Harrison of Indiana, Hon. William 
J. Sewell of New Jersey, Hon. Joseph R. Hawley of Con- 
necticut, Hon. Francis M. Cockrell of Missouri, Hon. 
Samuel B. Maxey of Texas, Hon. La Fayette Grover of 
Oregon, Hon. Wade Hampton of South Carolina. 

On June 20, 1882, the following proceedings took place 
in the Senate: 

Mr. Hawlev. I am instructed by the Committee on Military 
Affairs, to whom was referred the joint resolution authorizing the 
Secretary of War to erect at Washington's Headciuarters, in the city 
of Newburgh, New York, a memorial column, and to aid in defray- 
ing the expenses of the centennial celebration to be held at that city 
in the year 1883, to make a favorable report thereon; and I ask that 
it be put upon its passage. 

By unanimous consent, the Senate, as in Committee of the Whole, 
proceeded to consider the joint resolution. 

Mr. Hawley. This joint resolution has passed the House and 
is unanimously recommended by the committee of the Senate. Let 



l\'as]ii>igloii Momiuuiil at Nczvhtirgh^ N. V. 25 

me say, in justification, that the jirivate citizens of Newburgh have 
raised a consiileraljli; sum ; the city has voted 35,000, the State of 
New York has given 5:5,000, and they ask this contribution from 
the United States. They desire t(j purchase the grave-yard, which 
is without mark or stone, in which all the sokhers of the Revolu- 
tionary war who died there < luring a year and a half are buried. 
Tliey desire to inclose it and t(j have a proper and suitable monu- 
ment. 

The joint resolution was reported to the Senate without amend- 
ment, ordered to a third reading, read the third time, and passed. 

The preamble was agreed to. 

On July 8, 1882, the following proceedings took place : 

The Presidi'.nt //<) tt-iiipiirr. The Chair desires to make an an- 
nouncement. Under the joint resolution authorizing the Secretary 
of War to erect at Washington's Head(|uarters, in the city of New- 
burgh, New York, a memorial column, and to aid in defraying the 
expenses of the centennial celebration to be held in that city in the 
year 1883, the President of the Senate was authorized to appoint 
five Senators; and he ajijioints Mr. Hawlev, Mr. Miller of New 
York, Mr. Hill of Colorado, Mr. Hayard, and Mr. Hampton, the 
committee on the part of the Senate to attend the celebration. 

On the same day the Speaker appointed Mr. Beach of 
New York, Mr. Curtin of Pennsylvania, Mr. Burrows of 
Michigan, Mr. Knott of Kcntuck)-, Mr. Ketcham of New 
York, Air. Townsend of < )hio, Mr. Ellis of Louisiana, and 
Mr. Ranney of Massacliusetts, on the part of the Hou.se. 

Tlie joint select committee met in the room of the Senate 
Committee on Military Affairs, and organized by the elec- 
tion of Mr. Beach as permanent chairman, and Air. Ketcham 
as secretar\'. An executive committee was appointed, 
consisting of Senators Miller, IIavvle\-, and P)a>'ard, and 
Representatives Curtin and Ketcham. 

After perfecting its organization, the committee adjourned 
subject to the call of the chairman. 



26 The Ccnfoininl Celebration and 

At a subsequent meeting, held at the residence of Senator 
Miller, in Washington, on December 20, 1882, it was 
resolved that Hon. William M. Evarts, of New York, be 
requested to deliver the oration on the occasion of the cele- 
bration. 

In pursuance of such resolution, the chairman of the 
committee communicated with Mr. Evarts, and received 
from him the following reply : 

New Yo^v., December 2 t„ 1882. 

My Dear Sir : I had the honor yesterday to receive from you, as 
chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee upon the Nevvburgh 
Centennial, the announcement that, by the unanimous vote of that 
committee, I had been selected as orator for the occasion. 

Profoundly sensible of the honor which the committe; has done me 
by their choice, and impressed with the great historical and political 
interest of the transaction which this celebration is to commeuiorate, 
it gives me great pleasure to accept the appointment and undertake 
the service to which it calls me. 

Please convey to the committee my acknowledgment of the dis- 
tinction conferred upon me, and believe me, my dear sir, very truly, 
your friend and servant, 

Wm. M. Evarts. 

Hon. Lewis Beach, 

Chairman^ etc. 

The third meeting of the committee was held on the 
evening of February 7, 1883, at the residence of Senator 
Hill, in Washington, and the following is an extract fiom 
the minutes of the committee: 

Present: Senators Hill, Hawley, and Miller, and Metn- 
bers Ranney, Beach, Knott, Ketcham, and Townsend. 

The trustees of Washington's Headquarters and the citi- 
zens committee of Newburgh were in attendance, repre- 
sented by Mayor Peter Ward, Hon. Joel T. Headle)-, Judge 
M. H. Hirschbergh, and John C. Adams, esq. 



Was/iiiio/oii ALy/iiuu'iil a/ Xt:-a'hitr:j/i^ y. Y. TI 

On motion of ]\Ir. Beach, Senator Ha\vle\' was chosen 
chairman //-(; tcDiporc. 

Mr. Townsend, of Ohio, moved that the chairman of the 
connnittee he antliorized tt) propose and introchice a liill or 
resohition amendatory of the act of Congress approved 
July 2, 1882, so as to provide that the full amount (#25,000) 
appropriated may be expended on the proposed monument. 

Upon being put, the motion was carried with but one dis- 
senting vote; and thereafter the following resolution was 
prepared : 

yoiii/ I'L solution coiucniiii;:; tilt iiictwii of a iiuinoiial Ciiliiinn at II'iis/i- 
in};toii''s Hiadqiiartti s, at Xi:wl>uri;li^ A'civ Yorb. 

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That sections two and three 
of the joint resolution of Congress appnned July fust, eighteen hun- 
dred and eighty-two, authorizing the Secretary ot War to erect at 
Washington's Headi|uarters, in the city of Newburgh, New York, a 
memorial column, and to aid in defraying the ex])enses of the cen- 
tennial celebration to be held in that city in the year eighteen hun- 
dred and eighty-three, be, and the same are hereby, amended so as 
to read as follows: ''That the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, 
or so much thereof as may be necessary, be, and the same is hereby, 
appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise ajipro- 
priated, to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of War, in 
the erection of a siutable monument or column on the grounds belong- 
ing to the State of New York and known as Washington's Headipiar- 
ters, with such inscriptions and emlilcms as may properly commemo- 
rate the historical events w'hich occurred at Newburgh and vicinity 
during the war of the Revolution : Provid,;!, That the design for .said 
monument or column, with the inscriptions and emblems to be placed 
thereon, shall be sulijert to the approval and adoption of the joint 
.select committee directed to be appointed by the joint resolution to 
which this is an amendment: And pnnndcd fiirthn , That no jiart of 
the said sum of twenty-five thousand dollars shall be used m defray- 
ing the expenses of saiil ceiUennial celebration." 



28 The Centennial Celebration and 

On February i6, 1883, Hon. Senator Miller introduced 
the resolution in the Senate, when the proceedings had 
were as follows: 

Mr. Miller, of New York. I ask leave to introduce a joint reso- 
lution, and ask for its immediate consideration. If I can have the 
attention of the Senate I think there will be no objection. 

At the last Congress we passed a joint resolution appropriating 
525,000 to defray the expenses of a centennial celebration at New- 
burgh, New York, at which point the Revolutionary Army was dis- 
banded. That joint resolution provided that §10,000 should be 
expended for a monument and §15,000 for the general expenses of 
the celebration. The citizens of Newburgh have raised sufficient 
money to pay the general expenses of the celebration, and they ask 
of us that we shall put the whole of our money into the monument 
rather than waste §15,000 of it upon bands of music and processions 
and fire-works and things of that kind. I have no doubt but that the 
whole people of the country will be much better satisfied that all of 
our money shall go into a permanent monument rather than to be 
used in the ordinary expenses of a celebration. It is necessary that 
this should pass as soon as possible in order that the work on the 
monument may be started, and as the celebration is to take place 
during the coming summer, if the resolution of last year is not amended 
of course the object can not be arrived at. I think there will be no 
objection to the resolution. 

I will say that the Secretary of War has been consulted, as the 
money is to be expended under his direction. This resolution has 
been drawn by the entire joint commission of the two houses of Con- 
gress, in connection with the Secretary of War, and it meets his ap- 
proval. 

The joint resolution (S. R. 138) concerning the erection of a memo- 
rial coluinn at Washington's Headquarters, at Newburgh, New York, 
was read twice. 

The President />n> tempore. The joint resolution is before the 
Senate as in Committee of the Whole. 

Mr. Hoar. Let it be either referred or go over. 

Mr. Edmunds. It ought to be printed and referred. I dare say 
it may be right, but I can see that it ought to be guarded about 
further expenses. 



Mr. IIawi.ky. I tliiiik the joint rcsuhilion c rcating the (iiiginal com- 
mission is sufficiently guarded in that res[)ect, and this is simply a 
modification of that as to the exjjcnditure of the $25,000. We are 
not ]ierniitted to draw on or involve the ("io\ernment. The prohibi- 
tion is absolute in the original resolution against involving the Gov- 
ernment in any exiiense whatever beyond the sum appropriated. 

Mr. Edmunds. That I haxe no doubt is so; but this is a new joint 
resolution, and it is not clear to my mind that it possesses the same 
guards that the original did; and, secondly, it is not clear to my mind 
that there ought to be not only a statement that this does not involve 
the Government in any further exjiense, but that this sum of money 
shall be ai)plied in such a way as to make an end of the monument; 
tliat it is to be kept within the a[;propriation and that the Secretary 
shall not spend any of it unless he gets the work all done for this. It 
may be all right on looking at it, but we had better look at it to be 
sure. 

Mr. H.vwLEY. I have no objection to making that absolutely cer- 
tain. 

Mr. Edmunds. We have had so much unfortunate experience, not 
only about monuments, but about other structures where we thought 
we had limited the cost, that I think it is well to be careful. 

Mr. Hawley. There is no objection to any guard. 

Mr. Miller, of New York. If the Senator from Vermont desires 
it I will let the resolution go to the Military Committee and let it 
come back, or let it simply lie on the table to be called up hereafter. 

Mr. Harris. I suggest that it ought to go to the Committee on 
Appropriations. 

The Presidinc Officer. If there be no objection the joint reso- 
lution will be referred to the Committee on Appropriations. 'I'he 
Chair hears no objection to that reference, and it is so ordered. 

Oil February 21, 1S83, the rollowiug procecding.s were 
had in the Senate: 

Mr. Hawley. The Committee on Military Affairs, to which was 
referred the joint resolution (S. R. 138) concerning the erection of a 
memorial column at Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, New 
York, have instructed me to report it favorably and without amend- 
ment, and I recjuest its immediate consideration. 



30 Tlie Ceutt'iniial Ltfchratwu and 

The committee unanimously reported the resolution. It is in alter- 
ation of a resolution passed last July, which anpropriated «!25,ooo. 
So we are not asking for any more money. Ten thousand dollars of it 
was to be devoted to a monument and the remainder to the purchase 
of certain ground and the expense of tlie celebration. The commit- 
tee of Congress charged with a ])artial supervision of the matter 
thought it better to devote the whole 325,000 to the monument, 
and leave the expense of the celebration and the other local mat- 
ters to the .State of New York and tiie Newburgh local committee. 
That committee and the Congressional committee, in conference with 
the Secretary of War, decided upon this division of the labor. We 
recommend that the entire sum given last July be devoted to the 
monument, and New York State and the city of Newburgh will then 
take care of the local purchases and of the celebration. 

By unanimous consent, the Senate, as in Committee of the Whole, 
proceeded to consider the joint resolution. 

The joint resolution was reported to the Senate without amend- 
ment, ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, read the third time, 
and passed. 

At 9.30 o'clock on Sunday morning, March 4, 1883, the 
last day of the Forty-seventh Congress, the following pro- 
ceedings took place in the House : 

The recess having expired, the House re-assembled at 9.30 o'clock 
a. m. 

Mr. TowNSENii, of Ohio. I ask unanimous consent to make a 
statement to the House for two minutes. 

Mr. HoLMAN. On the. condition that that shall make no change in 
the status of the pending question. 

Mr. Anderson. I rise to make a ijarliamentary imjuiry. 

The Spe.aker. The gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Townsend] will 
state what his purpose is. 

Mr. Townsend, of Ohio. I will state my jjurpose, and then will 
make my request known to the House. 

Congress, at its last session, passed a joint resolution appropriating 
S25,ooo to pay for a monument and centennial celebration at New- 
burgh, New Y'ork, Washington's Headquarters. The terms of that 
resolution were such as to appropriate $10,000 for the monument 



ll'ashingliiii Mi>)iii)iu)it al Ni'wbui-gli^ X. Y. 31 

and ^15,000 for the other iin iilcnts connected witli tlie ( elel)ration. 
The committee in charge of the work and also the Secretary of War 
desire to have that joint resolution so amended as to [icrmit thein to 
use the 525,000 in the erectitjii of the monument, leaving to the 
Slate of New York and the citizens of Newburgh the expenditures 
incident to the celebration. It is a more sim[ile and a more satis- 
factory method, and [luts the national c ontrilnition where it would 
be more [jermanent and lasting. It is to make that slight change in 
this resolution that I ask the consent of the House. 

The Speaker. Is it a Senate resolution on wiiich the gentleman 
desires action ? 

Mr. TowNSEND, of Ohio. It is; it [lassed the Senate. The Sec- 
retary of War is anxious it sliould be so arranged, and I do not know 
any reason why it should not be. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Oliio |Mr. Townsend] asks 
unanimous consent to take trom the Speaker's table for consideration 
at this time a Senate joint resolution, which the Clerk will read. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

A joint ri'so/utii'ii (S. /\. 13S) lOiueniiiti; the erection oj a manorial column at 
\Va^Jiington\ HcUilqiiartcrs, at A^eiubtir^h^ j\^l":u ]'ork. 

Resolved, etc.. That sections 2 and 3 cif the joint resolution of Congress ap- 
proved July I, 1882, authorizing the Secretary of War to erect at Washington's 
Headquarters, in the city of Newburgh, New York, a memorial column, and to 
aid in defraying the expenses of the centennial celebration to be held at that 
city in the year 18S3, be, and the same are hereby, amended so as to read .is fol- 
lows: "That the sum of $25,000, or so much thereof as maybe necessary.be, 
and the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not other 
wise appropriated, to be expended, under the direction of the Secretary of War, 
in the erection of a suitaljle monument or column on the grounds belonging to the 
State of New York, and known as Washington's Headquarters, with such inscrip- 
tions and emblems as may properly commemorate the historical events wliich 
occurred at Newburgh and vicinity during the war of the Revolution : Pro-:, I,- 1, 
That the design for said monument or column, with the inscriptions and emblems 
to be placed thereon, shall be subject to the approval and adoption of the joint 
select committee directed to be appointed by the joint resolution to which this is 
an amendment : AnJ provided Jiirtlier, That no part of the said sum of ^(25,000 
shall be used in defraying the expenses of said centennial celebration. 

The Speaker. Is there objection to the consideration at this time 
of the joint resolution which has just been read? 



32 The Coitoinial Cc/chra/ioit and 

Mr. HoLMAN. I hope the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Townsend] 
will explain again the purpose of this joint resolution ; repeat briefly 
his statement in regard to the action of the State of New York touch- 
ing the other expenses contemiilated by the original joint resolution 
of Congress. 

Mr. Townsend, of Ohio. The State of New York has appropriated, 
I think, 515,000, and the citizens of Newburgh and the council of 
Newburgh have appropriated another sum, perhaps ten or fifteen 
thousand dollars, which amounts they expect will be sufficient to pay 
for certain outside property and the ordinary expenditures of the cele- 
bration. 

The terms of the appropriation made by Congress limited the 
expenditures for the memorial column to 510,000, and the remainder 
(515,000) was to be expended for general purposes. The commit- 
tee thought it would be more satisfactory to the public, after the 
Yorktown celebration, that the Government should have nothing to 
do with the ordinary expenses, such as brass-bands, ice-cream, and 
all that, but that all the money appropriated by the Government 
should be expended upon the memorial column, and the citizens of 
New York think so, too. 

Mr. HoLMAN. That seems to be a very proper measure. 

There being no objection, the joint resolution was taken from the 
Speaker's table, read three several times, and passed. 

Mr. Townsend, of Ohio, moved to reconsider the vote by which 
the Senate joint resolution was passed ; and also moved that the 
motion to reconsider be laid on the table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 



IVashingtoii Monument at Nezcburgh^ N. Y. 33 



LOCAL PROCEEDINGS. 

An account of the initiatory local proceedings connected 
with the celebration has been furnished by R. V. K. Mont- 
fort, the secretary of the Newburgh Committee of Five, and 
is as follows: 

Dpxember 6, 1881. — Hon. Joel T. Headley and Hon. 
James G. Graham appeared, on behalf of the trustees of 
Washington's Headquarters, before the common council, 
to urge the cit\- authorities to take action for raising funds 
fur the purpose of defraying the expenses of a centennial 
celebration to be held at Washington's Headquarters in 
1883. 

Alderman Doyle offered the following resolution, which 
was unanimously adopted, all the members (eight) being 
present: 

Whereas it is especially ilesirable to ascertain the e.'vpression of the 
tax-payers of the city of Newburgh upon the question of wiielher or 
not the Legislature of the State of New York be requested to enact 
a law empowering the common council of the city to levy and raise a 
sum of money, not exceeding $5,000, for a centennial celebration at 
Washington's Headquarters in 1883 : Therefore, 

Resolved, That the city clerk be instructed to advertise that such 
an election will be held at the court-house, in the city of Newburgh, 
on Wednesday, December 21, 1881, from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m., and that 
the clerk prepare the necessary ballots. 

The special election was held, pursuant to notice, on 

December 21, 1881, and resulted in a vote iu favor of the 

proposed action. 

H. Mis. 601 3 



84 77/^? Centennial Celehralion and 

January i6, 1883. — A meeting of citizens was held, pur- 
suant to a call made by the then mayor, the Hon. Abram 
S. Cassedy; the president of the common council, Richard 
vSterling, esq. ; and the president of the board of trustees 
of Washington's Headquarters, the Hon. Joel T. Headley, 
to arrange for a centennial celebration in 1883. 

A nominating committee of six was appointed, to select 
and publish the names of a general committee of citizens, to 
act in conjunction with the mayor, the common council, and 
the Washington Headquarters Commission, in arranging 
for a centennial celebration; after which publication the 
mayor was directed to call a meeting of such general com- 
mittee of citizens. 

The .selection was made, and two hundred and forty-four 
names were published January 18, 1882. 

January 30, 1882. — The General Committee of Citizens 
met, pursuant to a call by Mayor Cassedy, and the following 
resolutions were adopted : 

Resolved, That die executive committee on the centennial celebra- 
tion shall consist of the mayor of the city, four members of the com- 
mon council to be selected by him, and four of the trustees of 
Washington's Headquarters to be selected by that board, together 
with six other citizens to be selected by such officials. 

Resolved, That said executive committee be authorized to appoint 
such subcommittees as they may deem necessary from time to time, 
and shall also have power to call meetings of the general committee, 
and shall be required to call such meetings at any time on the written 
request of five members of said general committee. 

Resolved, That the said executive committee be requested and 
empowered to co-operate with the centennial committee already ap- 
pointed by the town of New Windsor, and such other committees as 
shall hereafter be appointed by other towns or municipal bodies or 
other organizations, and to invite such co-operation generally, and 



W'asliiitotoii Moiiiiiiiciit at Ncivbiiri^h^ N. Y. .35 

to appoint honorary niL-mbers of the committee in other parts of tliis 
State and of the United States to aid in promoting the centennial 
celebration of iSS . 

()n or before Feljruary ii, 1SS2, this execiiti\t' committee 
was appointed, and on that day their names were duly puli- 
lislied, as follows: 

Hon. Ahram S. Cassedy, mayor of tlie city ; Aldermen Joseph S. 
F.nihler of the First ward, J. 'I'. Moore of the Second ward, I!. 1!. 
Moore of the Third ward, and Charles A. Harcourt of the Fourth 
ward. 

Hon. Joel T. Headley, president, and James \V. Taylor, E. C. 
Boynton, and J. H. H. Chapman, trustees, of Washington's Head- 
quarters. 

Hon. Daniel B. St. John, Selah K. Van Du/.er, John \). Van 
Buren, Alfred Post, anil John C. Adams, citizens. 

February 22, 18S2. — Hon. John J. vS. ^IcCroskery and 
Hon. James G. Graham were appointed to fill vacancies aris- 
ing from the declination of Selah R. Wan Duzer and John 
D. Van Bnren. 

Two other vacancies occurred from the death of Alfred 
Post and the exijiration of the term of office of AIa\or Cassed)-. 

September ii, 1SS2. — A meeting of the executive com- 
mittee was held, at which it was resolved that Hon. Peter 
Ward (successor to Mayor Cassed\-) and four others to be 
selected by him should constitute a committee, with power 
to take general charge of the organization of the celebration, 
to appoint subcommittees, and direct the enterprise. 

The mayor chose as his associates Hon. Joel T. Headle\-, 
Hon. John J. S. McCroskery, Hon. M. H. Hirschberg, and 
John C. Adams, esq. 

The organization of the committee was completed by the 
appointment of R. V. K. Moutfort as secretary, June 4, 1SS3. 



36 The Centennial Celebration and 

John C. Adams, esq. , had acted in that capacity up to that 
date. 

In further aid of the proposed celebration application was 
made to the Legislature of the State of New York. 

Hon. James Mackin, the Senator representing the New- 
burgh district, introduced a bill, which was passed. The 
following is a copy: 

An act inakiiii; an appivpriation tim'a?-c/ the expenses of a centennial 
celtbration at and in the vicinity af the Headquarters of JVashington, 
at Newl'urgh, in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-three, of the 
disbandment of the Army of the Revolution and the declaration of 
peace, and other Revolutionary events, and for the erection of certain 
memorial structures. 

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and 
Assembly, do enact as follows: 

Section i. The sum of fifteen thousand dollars is hereljy appro- 
priated, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, 
payable on the warrant of the comptroller to the mayor of the city 
of Newburgh and the president of the board of trustees of Washing- 
ton's Headquarters at Newburgh, to be expended in aiding to defray 
the expenses of a centennial celebration, to be held in eighteen hun- 
dred and eighty-three, at Newburgh and in the vicinity thereof, of the 
disbandment of the Army of the Revolution and the declaration of 
peace, and of other important events which occurred during the 
occupation of said Headquarters by Wasliington and the encampment 
of said Army in that vicinity. 

Sec. 2. The money hereby appropriated shall be applied, if so di- 
rected by the executive committee having charge of said celebration, 
in the purchase, for the State of New York, of certain grounds con- 
taining the site of a building known in the history of the country as 
the "Temple," near the place of said encampment, at which certain 
eventful meetings were held at said period and important addresses 
of Washington were made; and for the erection of a frame and log 
building as a counterpart of said building (the "Temple") on said 
grounds, as a Revolutionary memorial structure; and also toward the 



IJ^as/iiug/mi Moiiituirul at NezvlntrgJi^ N. Y. 37 

purchase of the burial lot adjacent thereto, in which were interred 
those soldiers of said Army who died during said encampment; and 
also to be applied by said executive committee toward the erection 
of a monumental colunni on said Headquarters grounds, with appro- 
priate inscriptions, commemorative of said Revolutionary period. 

Sec. 3. This act shall take effect immediately. 

Passed June 16, 1882; three-fifths being present. 

With a view to increase the fund for the erection of the 
monument this act was amended the following year by the 
passage of an act, of which the following is a copy: 

An act io a/nc'iu/ iluiptcr tJiree hinuli-cJ and fiftv-fivc of the /d'cs of rii^/it- 
cell Jiimdred and eight\-tw<>, entitled ^' An aet malting an appropria- 
tion toward the expenses of a centennial celebration at and in the 
vicinity of the Headquarters of IVashington, at JVeji'lniri^h, in the year 
eighteen hundred and eighty-three, of the disbandment of the Army 
of the Revoliction and the declaration of peace and other Revolutionary 
events, and for the erection oj certain n:eniorial strnctnres." 

Tlie People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and 
Assembly, do enact as follows: 

Section i. Section two of chapter three huiidred and fifty-five of 
the laws of eighteen hundred ami eighty-two, entitled "An act mak- 
ing an appropriation toward the expenses of a centennial celebration 
at and in the vicinity of the Headquarters of Washington, at New- 
burgh, in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-three, of the disband- 
ment of the Army of the Revolution and the declaration of peace, 
and other Revolutionary events, and for the erection of certain me- 
morial strtictures," is hereby amended so as to read as follows : 

Sec. 2. The sum of ten thousand dollars of the money hereby appro- 
priated shall be paid by the said mayor of the city of Newburgh and 
the president of the board of trustees of Washington's Headquarters 
at Newburgh to the Secretary of War of the United States, to be ap- 
plied by the latter toward the building of the tnonument to be erected 
on the grounds of said Washington's Headtjuarters, and for which 
the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars has been appropriated by 
Congress ; the balance of the sum hereby appropriated, \\?., five thou- 
sand dollars, shall be applied by the executive committee having 



38 The Centennial Celebration and 

charge of said celebration in defraying the expenses of the ceremonies 
attending the dedication of said monument, and the general expenses 
of said centennial celebration. 

Sec. 3. This act shall take effect immediately. 

Passed March 31, 1883; three-fifths being present. 

The ten thousand dollars appropriated by this act were 
duly paid over to the Secretaiy of War, thus making an 
available fund in his hands of $35,000 for the purposes of the 
monument. 

During the summer of 18S3 the Newburgh Committee 
of Five was in almost continuous session, devising methods 
for a fitting celebration of the day. 

Invitations were extended to the President of the United 
States and the members of his Cabinet ; also as follows : 
To Senators, of the United States ; Representatives in Con- 
gress ; Justices of the United States Supreme Court ; Gov- 
ernors of all the States ; Ex- Presidents and Vice-Presidents ; 
Senators of the State of New York ; Assemblymen of the 
State of New York ; all the New York State Officers ; 
Judges of the Court of Appeals of New York ; Jtistices of 
the vSupreme Court of New York; General Shennan; Lieu- 
tenant-General Sheridan ; all Major-Generals and Brevet 
Major-Generals United States Army ; Admiral Cooper; all 
other Admirals United States Navy ; Mayors of all cities in 
the State of New York ; Mayors of forty principal cities in 
the United States ; New York Historical Society; Order of 
the Cincinnati. 

All arrangements having been perfected, proclamation 
was made in the following : 



IVasJiii/gtoit Monument at Ncivburgh^ N. Y. 39 

OFFICIAL PROGRAMME. 

NEWIU/RCII CENTE.VXIAL CELEBRATION. 

Office of Marsh ai, of the Day, 

Newburgh Centennial Cei.ehration, 
NfU'/nirgti, October 17, 1S83 — 12 o'clotk noon. 

At sunrise to-morrow morning Newburgh's C.'cntennial Cek-1 nation 
will be ushere<l in ljy the ringing of bulls on all public buildings in 
the city, anil by the booming of cannon from Washington's Head- 
quarters and frt)m vessels anchored in the bay. 

At 9 a. m. yards will be manned on the seven ships composing the 
fleet of Rear-Admiral Cooper, which will be drawn up in line in front 
of the city. At the same time an exhibit of Japanese day fire-works 
will be given. 

At 10 a. m. a simultaneous landing will be effected from every ship 
of the line, and at 11 o'clock three guns, at intervals of twenty 
seconds, will be fired from the llag-shij) as a signal for the moving of 
the procession, which will Ije arranged as follows: 

A squad of miiunteil iiolice; a platoon i>r N\'\v Vork City police. 
Graiiil Marshal, Charles H. Weygant ; II. I'. Kamsilull, chief of staff. 
Aids: Thomas W. Bradley, J. Owen Moore, Charles E. Snyder, J. i). Mabie, N. 
H. Schram, James Heard, Clark B. C.allatian, Norman A. .Sly, Charles J. 
Lyon, Dr. John Deyo, William H. Kelly, John A. McDonnell, Frederick 
Decker, Charles Mapes, James W. Pjenedict, Seneca W. Merritt. 
Buglers, color-liearers, and orderlies. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Marshal, Brig. Gen. Louis Fitzgerald; staff, bugler, and orderlies. 

Seventh Regiment, X. C. S. X. }'., of New York City; 700 men. 

Cappa's .Seventh Regiment Band, 55 pieces; drum and Inigle corps, 30 pieces. 

Col. Emmons Clark and stafi"; Lieut. Col. G. M. Smitli; Maj. Richard Allison. 

Company C — Capt. Don Alon/.o Pollard. 

Company B — Capt. Henry S. Steel. 

Company G — Capt. James C. Abrams. 

Company A — Capt. Augustus W. Conner. 

Company I — Capt. William C. Casey. 

Company E — Capt. George B. Rhodes. 

Company H — Capt. James L. Price. 

Company K — Capt. Francis W. Bacon. 

Company F — Capt. Daniel .-Xppleton. 

Company D — Capt. W. II. Kipp. 



40 The Ccniciuiial Celebration and 

Vnifortiied Sroenth Regiment Veteran Battalion, 250 men. 
Eighth Regiment Band, 40 pieces. 
Col. Locke W. Winchester ; Lieut. Col. Charles B. Bostwick ; Maj. John H. Kemp. 
Company A — Capt. Henry L Hayden. 
Company B — Capt. John C. Griffing. 
Company C — Capt. John W. Murray. 
Company D — Capt. William H. Riblet. 
Company E — Capt. William A. Speaight. 
Company F — Capt. Edward O. Bird. 
Company G — Capt Lyman Tiffany. 
Company \\ — Capt. Henry C. Shumway. 
Company I — Capt. Edward G. Arthur. 
Company K — Capt. James Ray. 
Officers of the day and distinguished guests, in 50 carriages. 
Peter Ward, mayor of Newburgh, chairman of the committee in charge. 
Hon. Joel T. Headley, president Washington's Headquarters Commission. 
Hon. Thomas F. Bayard, presiding officer. 
Hon. William M. Evarts, orator. 
Mr. Wallace Bruce, poet. 
Rev. S. IrensEus Prime, D. D., chaplain. 
Hon. William E. Chandler, .Secretary of the Navy. 
Hon. Grover Cleveland, Governor of New York, and staff. 
Major-General Carr and staff. 
Major-General Shaler and staff. 
Members of Joint Congressional Committee, viz : Hon. Lewis Beach, Hon. War- 
ner Miller, Hon. John H. Ketcham, Hon. Joseph R. Havvley, Hon. Andrew 
G. Curtin, Hon. Amos Townsend. 

Governor Bourn, of Rhode Island, and staff. 

Bvt. Maj. Gen. W. D. Whipple, A. A. G. ; Maj. Asa B. Gardner, judge-advocate; 

Capt. G. S. L. Ward, aide-de-camp, of General Hancock's staff. 

Common Council of the City of Newburgh. 

Delegates of the Society of the Cincinnati and 100 distinguished guests. 

SECOND DIVISION. 

Marshal, William D. Dickey ; Howard Thornton, chief of staff. 
Aids : Bartholomew B. Moore, Augustus Senior, Eugene A. Brewster, jr., Albert 
N. Chambers, G. Gartzman, M. D., G. Fred. Wiltsie, J. S. Wiseman, E. A. 
Brown, George H. Clark, Kelsey Fullagar, James Ogden. 

Battalion Fifth L'nited States Artillery, dismounted. 
Governor's Island Band. 
Bvt. Brig. Gen. R. H. Jackson, commanding. 
Company A — Bvt. Lieut. Col. B. Beck, captain. 
Company B— Capt. N. E. Van Reed. 
Company I — Capt. G. W. Crabb. 
Company M — Capt. G. V. Wier. 



]\'as]ii)igtoii Mo)iit»ieiit at Nc'n'bitrgh, N. Y. 41 

Naval Brigade-, from North Atlantic Squadron; 800 men. 
Marine Band, 20 pieces. 
Pioneer Corps. 
Commander .\. V. Reed, U. S. N., commanding brigade; Lieut. C. E.Callahan, 
U. S. N., adjutant-general. 
Marine Battalion— Capt. W. S. Muse. U. S. M. C, commanding. 
Infantry Battalion (sailors) —Lieut. R. P. Rodgers, U. S. N., commanding. 
Artillery Battalion— Lieut. G. W. Tyler. U. S. N., commanding. 
Rear- Admiral G. H. Cooper, staff, and officers of fleet, in carriages. 
Tenth Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., of Newburgh ; Capt. Joseph M. Dickey, 

and 40 men. 
Tenth Regiment Band, of Albany, 24 pieces. 
Pulnam Phalanx Batlalion, of Hartford, 125 men. 
Battalion Drum Corps, 14 pieces. 
Alvin Squires, major commanding; Henry B. Taylor, adjutant. 
First Company — Capt. C. A. Case. 
Second Company — Capt. Joseph Warner. 
Honorary Corps— Capt. J. W. Welch. 
Nineteenth Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., Poughkeepsie; Capt. Haubennestel ; 
60 men ; drum corps. 
Tiemty-thirJ Regiment, N. G. S. N. 1'., of Brooklyn, 550 men. 
Twenty-third Regiment Band, 50 pieces; fife and bugle corps, 20 pieces. 
Col. Rodney C. Ward; Lieut. Col. J. B. Frothinghani ; Maj. C. L. Fincke. 
Company G— Capt. .Alfred H. Williams. 
Company E — Capt. Arthur Guthrie. 
Company H — Capt. Alexis C. Smith. 
Company K— Capt. Charles E. Waters. 
Company F— Capt. George H. I'cttit. 
Company D— First Lieut. Willard L. Candee. 
Company C— Capt. Ezra De Forest. 
Company A — Capt. Arthur B. Hart. 
Company D— Capt. Darius Ferry. 
T/iird Regiment, N. G.S. N. J. (Garfiel.l LegiLni), o{ 'EWz^heih,^.].: 400 men. 
Third Regiment Band, 25 pieces. 
Col. E. H. Ropes and staff; Lieut Col. M. N. Oviatt ; Maj. A. B. Lee. 
Company A — Capt. G. C. Armerod. 
Company B— Capt. J. V. Allstroon. 
Company D— Capt. John D. Stroud. 
Comp.anyC-Capt. W. H. Dehart. 
Company G— Capt. O. S. Stanhope. 

Company E, Seventh New Jersey— Capt. A. J. Buck. 70 
men ; temporarily attached to Third New Jersey. 
Cadet Battalion of the Peekskill Military Academy, PeekskiU, N. Y., Colonel 
Wright, commanding ; 125 men; drum corps. 



42 The Cciitenuial Celebration and 

THIRD DIVISION. 

Marshal, Edward D. Hayt ; C. L. Waring, chief of staff. 
Aids: William T. Peters, John Smith, Edward Stocker, M. V. Waring, Edward 
Whelan, W. H. Van Sciver, F. H. Mason, C. F. Wells. 
Tliirtftiilh Keginiml, N. G. S. N. )'., of Brooklyn; 600 men and So musicians. 
Dodworth's Thirteenth Regiment Band, 50 pieces ; drum and bugle corps, 30 pieces. 
Col. David E. Austin and staff; Lieut. Col. Theodore B. Gates ; Maj. W. B.Tyson. 
Regimental Veteran Corps, Col. Willoughby Powell. 
Company G — Capt. William L. Watson. 
Company H — Capt. C. P. Kretschmar. 
Company E — Capt. Edward Fackner. 
Company I — Capt. James S. Manderville. 
Company K — Capt. George B. Squires. 
Company F — Capt. William H. Courtney. 
Company C — Capt. F. B. S. Morgan. 
Company A — Capt. William L. Collins. 
Company D — First Lieut. David M. Demarest. 
Company B— Capt. Ed. M. Smith. 
Thirteenth Regiment Battery, Capt. G. W. Cochran. 
Fifth Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., of Newburgh ; Capt. James T. Chase, 
and 60 men. Moscow's Newburgh City Band, 16 pieces; fife and drum 
corps, 12 pieces. 
Company H, Seventy-first Regiment, N. G. S. N. V.,of New York City; Capt. F. 

H. Jordan ; 60 men ; band. 
Fifteenth Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., of Poughkeepsie ; Capt. Berthold 

Myers; 40 men ; drum corps. 
Eleventh Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., of Mount Vernon ; Capt. J. M. 

Jarvis ; 40 men. Mount Vernon Band, 15 pieces. 
Fourth Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., of Yonkers; Capt. Isaiah Fra/ier ; 40 

men. 

Twenty-third Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., of Hudson ; Capt. E. R. Elting ; 

60 men; drum corps, iS men. 

Grand Army of the Republic Brigade. 

Assistant Marshal, W. H. Mickle. 

Staff: D. L. Kidd, George Barber, W. T. Talmadge, Egbert Lewis. 

Ellis Post, No. 52, of Newburgh ; Commander W. H. Mills ; 80 men ; uniformed 

delegates, 120 men; Tottenville Band, 19 pieces. 
Rankin Post, No. 10, of Brooklyn; Commander J. H. Walker; 150 men; dele- 
gates from other posts, 100 men; Fourteenth Regiment Band, 20 pieces. 
Harry Lee Post, No. 21 , of Brooklyn ; Commander J. R. McNaughton ; 60 men ; 
delegates from other posts, 40 men; drum corps, 35 pieces. 



l]'asJii)iglo)i Motiunioit at Nczvbitrgh^ N. Y. 43 

Howland Post, No. 48, of Fishkill ; Commander Stephen Price ; 24 men. 

Carroll Past, No. 279, of Port Jervis; Commander Sol Van Etten ; 75 men; 

Emmett's Band, 18 pieces. 
Pratt Post, No. 127, of Kingston; Commander R. W. Anderson ; 150 men; post 

drum corps. 
Abram Vosburgh Post, No. 95, of Peekskill ; Commander W. A. Sipperley ; 75 

men ; band. 
Ceo. G. Meade Post, No. 38, New York ; 100 men. 

Waldron Post, No. 82, of Nyack ; Commander Louis L. Robliins, 60 men, with Com- 
mander W. II. Myers and 20 men from Silliman Post, No. 172 ; l)anil. 
John 1 [ancock Post, No. 253, of Nyack ; Commander G. F. Morse ; 40 men; liand. 
J. II. ICetcham Post, No. 88, of Wappinger's Falls; Commander James Fenton ; 

40 men ; band. 
Delegation from First Company, Wasliington Continental Guards, New York City ; 

24 men; drum corps, 12 pieces. 
Independent Veteran Volunteers, of Poughkeepsie; Capt. W. Platto; 20 men. 
Veterans of the Une hundred and twenty-fourth New \'ork State Volunteers. 
Ununiformed Grand Army of the Republic Posts and delegations. 

FOURTH DIVISION. 

Marshal, John R. Post; chief of staff, E. R. Harsbrouck. 

Aids: t ieorge W. Townsend, Ward Belknap. 

West Point Banil, 30 ])ieces. 

Knichts TeMI'LAR B.\tt.\lion'. 

Hudson River Commandery, No. 35, Knights Templar, of Newburgh; Eminent 

Sir Knight Jeremiah Searle; too men. 

Poughkeepsie Commandery, No. 43, Knights Templar, of Poughkeepsie ; Eminent 

Sir Knight A. F. Lindley ; 50 men. 

Kniciits ok Pythias Battalion. 

Albany Uniformed Division, No. 2, of Albany; commander. Sir Knight M. J. 

.Severencc ; 60 men. 
lona Uniformed Division, Haverstraw; commander. Sir Knight A. Bedell; 40 men. 

Odd Fellows Battalio.n. 

Brooklyn Uniformed Degree Camp, No. 2, of Brooklyn ; commander, I. W. 

Keynor; 40 men. 
Washington Uniformed Degree, No. 10, of New York City; commander, Lewis 

Noble ; 40 men. 

Highland Falls Lodge, No. 429, of Highland Falls ; J. F. Tucker, N. G.; 40 men. 

Cornwall Lodge, No. 340, of Cornwall ; 25 men. 

Minisink Lodge, No. 444, of West Town ; 25 men. 



44 The Centennial Celebration and 

Miscellaneous Societies. 

German Mannerchor of Newburgh ; Theo. Ramsledt, president ; 40 men. 
Juvenile Temperance Association of Newburgh ; George W. Bradley, president; 

80 strong. 

FIFTH DIVISION. 

Marshal, Chief Engineer Nicholas Powell. 
Staff: Assistant Engineers of Newburgh Fire Department. 

Visiting Companies. 

Sixth Battery Band, of Binghamton. 
Alert Hose Company, No. 2, of Binghamton; J. W. Butler, foreman ; 50 men. 

Erie Cornet Band, of Port Jervis. 
Delaware Hose Company, No. 2, of Port Jervis; E. B. Wilkinson, foreman ; 40 men. 

Y. M. C. A. Band, of Yonkers. 
Lady Washington Hose Company, No. 2, of Yonkers; James McVicar, foreman; 

75 men. 

Yonkers Brass Band, 15 pieces. 
Hudson Hose Company, No. 4, of Yonkers ; Benjamin Cline, foreman ; 40 men. 

Peekskill Cornet Band. 

Courtland Hook and Ladder Company, No. i, of Peekskill; Charles R.Swain, 

foreman ; 45 men. 

North Tarrytown Fire Patrol, of North Tarrytown. 

Tarrytown Comet Band, 17 pieces. 

Pocantico Hook and Ladder Company, of Tarrytown ; John P. Kelly, foreman ; 

40 men. 

Rhinebeck Brass Band, 14 pieces. 
O.H. Booth Hose Company, No. 2, of Poughkeepsie ; E. O. Caldwell, foreman ; 

60 men. 

Hurley Brass Band, of Kingston. 
Kingston Hose Company, No. 2, of Kingston; H. A. Burgan, foreman. 

Goeller's Band, 14 pieces. 
Weber Hose Company, No. 3, of Rondout ; R. P. Carter, foreman ; 27 men. 

Band. 
Protection Hose Company, No. i,of Catskill; Spencer C. Phillips, foreman; 30 men. 
Washington Hose Company, No. 3, of Newburgh ; Henry Scott, foreman. 



WasliDigtoii Moint))uiit at Ncwhiirgli^ N. Y. 45 

Newiu-roh Fikf. Department. 
Montgomery Hand, of Montgomery, N. Y. 
Brewster Ilouk and Ladder Company, No. i,of Xewburgh ; William W.Boyd, 

foreman. 

Seventy-lirst Regiment liand, of New York. 
Ringgold Hose Company, No. I, of Newburgli ; John Ernest, jr.. foreman. 

Twenty-tirst Regiment Band, of Poughkeepsie. 
C. M. Leonard Steamer Company, No. 2, of Newburgli ; C. .S. McKissock, foreman. 

I'iano's Band, of Fishkill. 
Columbian Hose Company, No. 2, of Newburgli ; J. H. R. .Straclian, foreman. 

Millerton Band, of Millerton. 
Highland .Steamer Comiiany, No. 5, of Newburgh ; H. C. Mellor, foreman. 

Eastman's College Band, of Poughkeepsie. 
Chapman Hose Company, No. 4, of Newburgli; Thomas H. Burke, foreman. 

Collins' Banil, of Newburgh. 
W'ashington Steamer Company, .\o. 4, of Newburgh ; .\lex. J. Blitt, foreman. 

Cline's .\lbany City Band, of Albany. 
Lawson Hose Company, No. 5, of Newburgh ; D. C. Cameron, foreman. 

FORM.-\TION OF DIVISIONS. 

The procession will be formed as follows : 

First division on Grand street, right resting on Broadway. 

Second division on Liberty street, right resting on Broadway. 

Third division, right wing oh Chambers street, right resting on 
Broadway ; left wing (consisting of Grand Army Brigade and 
Veteran organizations) on Lander street, right resting on Broadway. 

Fourth division on Johnston street, right resting on Broadway. 

Fifth division on south side of Broadway, right resting on Lander 
street. 

In forming divisions, care will be taken to leave Grand street opea 
and to place line as close as possible to the sidewalks, in order to 
leave as much of the street ojien as possible for passage of troojis. 

THK MARCH. 

When the " Attention " is sounded, marshals and assistant mar- 
shak of the first four divisions will cause their commands to form 
column. At the sounil of the " F'orward," the fourth division will 



46 Tlie Ccntciniial Celebration and 

move down Broadway and halt, with its right resting on the west 
side of Lander street, and be brought to a front. 

In same manner — 

Left wing of third division will move forward until its right rests 
on the west side of Chambers street ; right wing of third division 
until its right rests on west side of Liberty street ; the second divis- 
ion until its right rests on the west side of Grand street. 

As the left of each division or wing is uncovered, the next will 
promptly form column and follow. 

LINE OF MARCH. 

The line of march will be down Broadway to Golden, Golden to 
Water, Water to junction of Grand, Grand to Broadway, Broadway 
to Liberty, Liberty to South, South to Lander, Lander to Broadway, 
where, if time will admit, a counter-march will be made, and parade 
will be dismissed. 

ROUTE OF ORGANIZATIONS TO THEIR PLACES IN LINE. 

All local and other organizations arriving in the city previous to 
lo a. m. will be conducted promptly at that hour by most direct 
route to their places in line. 

Organizations arriving after lo and before 10.50, will be con- 
ducted as follows : 

Those landing at West Shore Depot will cross the square and pro- 
ceed through Golden and Broadway, to their places in line. 

Those arriving by Erie road, up First, through Golden and Broad- 
way, to their places in line. 

Those landing at Long Dock or arriving by ferry, will move up 
Second to Water, Water to Golden, Golden to Broadway, thence to 
their places in line. 

Those landing north of the ferry slip will proceed from place of 
landing to Fourth street, up Fourth to Water, southerly through 
Water to Golden, up Golden to Broadway, to their places in line. 

Those landing south of Broadway will move up Washington street 
to Liberty, through Liberty to Broadway, thence to their places in 
line. 

Organizations arriving after 10.30 will be formed as follows: 

Fire companies on Fourth street, right resting on Water and left 
extending northward through Front. 



ll'{i.\/ii!ii;/(i!i MoiiKiiii'iif a/ Xi-ii'h/iro/i, \. ]'. 47 

Military organizations on South Water street, riglit resting at junc- 
tion of Colden. 

Civic organizations on Third, right resting on Water and left 
extending southward through Front. 

From positions above indicated they will be [ilaced in line as the 
divisions to which they belong pass through Water street. 

AFTERNOON EXERCISES — 2 I'. M. 

At 2 p. m. broadsides from the entire fleet will be fired, and the 
following exercises, arranged by the Committee of Five, will take 
place on Washington's Headcjuarters Grounds : 

1. Introductory Overture, •• William Tell" Ca]ipa's yth Regiment liaml. 

2. Assemblage calleil to order by Hon. I'eter Ward, Mayor. 

3. Prayer _ . Rev. S. Irenxus I'rimc, I). I ). 

4. Te Deum, " We praise Thee, C.) God," by I'udley Buck. 

(irand Chorus of 500 Voices and liand. 

5. Introduction of United States Senator Thomas F. Bayard, President of the 

afternoon. 

6. " Hail Columbia" Chorus and Band. 

7. Reading of a Poem (original), " The Long I irama from '76 to 'S3." 

Wallace Bruce. 
S. a. .Seventh Regiment (Irand Round, by Markstein. 1st, Guard fall in. 21I, 
Attention ! 3d, Marching to inspect posts. 4th, Halt ! 5th, Counter- 
sign. 6th, Marching back. 7th, Dismissal. 8th, Rejoicing. 

b. Chorus, " No King but God " H. R. Shelley. 

9. Oration _Hon. William M. Evarts. 

10. " Hallelujah Chorus," Handel Chorus and Band. 

11. Benediction ... ^.. Rev. J. Forsyth, I). D. 

12. March Cappa's Band. 

FIREWORK.S niSPL.AV AT 6.30 P. M. 

The display, which will consist entirely of aerial fire-works, will be 
fired from three immense floats, anchoreil in the center of the river, 
as nearly as possible opposite the foot of Second street. From the 
two outer floats there will be cross-fires of rockets, bombs, etc., form- 
ing gigantic arches of many colors. From the center floats volleys 
of shells, batteries, etc., of variegated flowers, stars, gems, etc., will 
beset off, the combined eft'ect of wiiich will be reflected in the river, 
producing a spectacle of much grandeur and beauty. 



48 



The Centennial Celebration and 



The exhibition will be fired in the following 



CLASSIFIED GROUPS. 

Batteries, with mines of serpents. 
Tourbillions, with star mines. 
Rockets, parachute, special. 
Shell batteries, with serpent mines. 
Shells, 24-inch, "unexcelled." 
Rockets, twin asteroid, etc., 4. pound. 
Shells, 3oinch, mammoth spreaders. 
Rockets, 6-pound. 
Shells, 30-inch, aerial acre. 
Grouped batteries. 
Grand flight of 1,000 rockets. 
Parting salute, colonial. 

Extensive displays of fire-works will also be made at Fishkill, 
Temple Hill (New Windsor), and various other points in the vicinity. 
These will begin immediately after the close of the exhibition on the 
tiver. 

Chas. H. Wevgant, 

Marshal of the Day, 



I. 


Opening salute, colonial. 


13 


2. 


Balloons, fire-works' attachments. 


14 


3- 


Rocket display. 


'5 


4- 


Shells, 18-inch, Japanese. 


16 


5- 


Batteries, mines, and serpents. 


17 


6. 


Rocket display. 


18 


7- 


Batteries, with serpents. 


19 


8. 


Shells, 18-inch, cross-fire. 


20 


9- 


Tourbillions, with cross-fire rockets. 


21 


10. 


Shells, 24-inch, "unexcelled." 


22 


II. 


Rockets, special effects. 


^3 


12. 


Shells, iS-inch, Japanese. 


24 



The programme of the day was carried out to the letter, 
and the display was one of the finest that has ever been wit- 
nessed in this country. 



Washington Moiiunicnl at Nc'a.il)uigli^ N. Y. 49 



PARTICIPATION OF THE NAVY. 

The jjart taken t)y the Navy in the celebration will appear 
from the following correspondence: 

Navv Department, 
Wasliiii^^ton. Diu-mlh-r lo, 18S3. 

Sir: In answer to your rcijuest to be informed as to what part 
the Navy took at the Newbiirgh Centennial Celebration, I have 
the honor to state that the available vessels of the North Atlantic 
Squadron, under Rear-Admiral Ceorge H. Coojier, and the availal)lf 
vessels of the Training Squadron, under the coniuiand of ( 'ommander 
H. C. Taylor, were ordered to be present at Newburgh on the iStli 
of October, and to take such part in tlie celebration as should be 
thought proper by Admiral Coojier, or that sliould be agreed upon 
by the committee and himself. A copy of the Department's order 
to Admiral Cooper on the subject is herewith inclosed, together with 
a copy of his report made to die Department. 

In addition to the commands mentioned above, the TallapKosa 
reached Xewburgh on the morning of the i8th of October, having on 
board the Secretary of the Navy, Commodore J. H. Upshur, Ca|jt. 
J. H. Gillis, Commander T. F. Kane, Lieut. Aaron Ward, Assistant 
Postmaster-General R. A. Elmer, U. S. Marshal Joel B. Erhardt, and 
others, who took part in the celebration and were present at all the 
public ceremonies. 



Very respectfully. 



Hon. Lewis Beach, 

House of Representatives. 

H. Mis. 601 4 



Wm. E. Chanlh.er, 
Seeretary of t/ie A\ivy. 



50 The Centennial Celchratioi and 

Navy Department, 
IVashiiig/oH, August 7, 1883. 

Sir : The Department has been requested to have the Navy repre- 
sented at the Newburgh Centennial Celebration, which occurs at 
that place on the i8th of October next. 

With this in view, you will proceed to Newburgh, N. Y., by the 
time mentioned, with such vessels of your squadron as may be avail- 
able, and place yourself in communication with the Executive Com- 
mittee, and take such part in the celebration as you may deem 
proper, or that may be agreed upon by the committee and yourself. 
Commodore Luce has received similar orders, but will report to 
you upon arrival, as the senior ofificer, lor instructions. 
Very respectfully, 

Ed. T. Nichols, 
Acting Secretary of the Navy. 

Rear-Admiral George H. Cooper, U. S. N., 

CoJitiinuuti/ii' U. S. Naval Force on Nortli Atlantic Station. 



U. S. Flag-ship, Tennessee (ist rate), 

Neiv York. Harbor, October 19, 1883. 

Sir : I have the honor to inform the Department that, in com- 
pliance with its instructions, issued on the 7th August last, I pro- 
ceeded to Newburgh, N. Y., on the 17th instant, with the Tennessee, 
I'andalia, and Alliance, of the North Atlantic Squadron, for the pur- 
pose of participating in the Centennial Celebration at that place on 
the 1 8th instant. 

After my arrival at Newburgh the commanding officers of the 
training-ships Saratoga and Fortsnioiitli reported to me for duty, with 
their vessels, during the celebration, thus increasing the squadron 
under my command to five vessels. 

Previous to my arrival at Newburgh I had placed myself in com- 
munication with the Executive Committee, and had made the neces- 
sary preliminary arrangements for the participation of the Navy in 
the celebration. A few minutes after the flag-ship anchored off New- 
burgh a delegation, consisting of the members of the Executive Com- 
mittee and other prominent citizens, came on board, and extended 
to myself and the officers a cordial welcome to Newburgh, 



W'a^hiiigUm Monit))uiii al Nc'vbitri^Ji, N. Y. 51 

111 compliance witli the request of tlic committee I arraiigeii to 
fire three national salutes from all the vessels, and to land the Naval 
Brigade on the day of the Centennial Cx-lebration. I also arranged 
to make a disjjlay of fire-works from the vessels in the evening. 

All the arrangements agreed upon by myself and tlie i'^xecutive 
Committee, were carried out to my entire satisfaction, and I believe 
to the satisfaction of the committee. I was much gratified with the 
conduct of all the officers and men under my command upon this 
occasion, and think the display by the Navy was in all respects 
creditable. 

The commanding officers of the training-ships Sdmto^'a and Poits- 
moiitli, Commanders Taylor and Wise, assisted me heartily in all my 
plans for participating in the Centennial Celeliration; and the lac ility 
with which their vessels conformed to the routine and organization 
of the North Atlantic Squadron, although their crews consist of young 
apprentices, gives evidence of much jiainstaking on the part of their 
ofticers, and indicates a high state of discipline on board the vessels. 

I left Newburgh with Tc-niicssi-c and Alli<iiicc at g o'clock tliis morn- 
ing, and at 4.15 [1. m. anchored oft' the J lattery. The Vaiuidlia, ha\ing 
lost an anchor off Newburgh, has been directed to remain at that 
place for two days to search for it, and then return to New York. 

The training-ships Saiafo:^a and I'oiisiiioutli reiiKiined at New- 
burgh, with orders from me to comply with their original instructions. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

G. H. Cooper, 
Rear- Admiral Comma iiditii; U. S. Naval Force, 

North Atlantic Station. 
Hon. W. E. Chandler, 

Secretary of the A^avy, U'ashin^^ton, D. C. 



52 The Centennial Celebration and 



EXERCISES AT THE CELEBRATION. 

Upon the grand stand, which had been erected to the east 
of the Headqnarters Building, in the presence of probably 
over twenty thousand persons, the following exercises were 
had: 

F* R A V E R . 

By Rev. S. Iren.eus Prime, D. D. 

Almighty God, the Maker of heaven and earth, in whose 
hand are the destinies of nations, the God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob, our fathers' God and ours. Thee we adore. Thou 
didst lead Joseph like a flock, and Thou didst go before our 
fathers, a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. For 
Thy care of them in the war for our Independence we bless 
and praise Thee to-day. (_)u Thine omnipotent arm our 
Washington leaned; by Thee our armies were upheld; Thy 
right hand gave us victor)- and wrought our salvation. For 
this day, that commemorates the close of that long struggle 
and the establishment of peace, we thank Thee; and for the 
countless blessings that have ensued; for our existence as a 
nation; for civil and religious libert)-; for law and order, 
and the prosperity of the country in which it is our privi- 
lege to dwell. 

Above all, we thank Thee for Thy Son Jesus Christ, by 
whom we have the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal 
life. 

And we invoke Thy benediction on our beloved country; 
the General Government and the several States and Territo- 
ries; upon the President of the United States and all asso- 
ciated with him in his administration, and on all who are 
clothed with authority in the land, that they may guide and 



'iVashingtoji Monument at Nc'a'biirgh, N. Y. 0.3 

govern in Tin- fear and for the good of the people. Inspire 
all hearts with patriotism, obedience to law, and zeal for the 
honor of the nation. May the people be preser\-ed in pnrity 
and all honesty, and in the self-sacrificing spirit of our 
fathers. Put an end, we pra\- Thee, to corruption, to self- 
seeking, and to godless ambition; and so may we be a happy 
people, whose God is the Lord. 

vSave us from internal dissension and from foreign war. 
May the peace of the nations be perpetual, while our coun- 
try advances in ever>- good work, to the glory of Th\- great 
name. 

Send us rain and sunshine and fruitful seasons in their 
turn, that the people ma>- know Thee, the Giver of every 
good gift, and may rejoice in the manifestation of Thy con- 
tinued love. Deliver us from those sins which provoke Thy 
displeasure, and cause Th>- face to shine upon tis, that we 
may be saved. 

Bless the country and people from whom b\- the war of 
Independence we were separated; one with them in lan- 
guage, liberty, law, and faith in Thee, may we and they 
continue in peace and good-will, to promote each other's 
welfare and that of the human family. 

And from our land may there go out into all lands the 
light of civil liberty and the light of the blessed Gospel, until 
the whole world rejoices in the freedom which we enjo\-, and 
the King of kings rules in the hearts of men from the risino- 
to the setting sun. 

Hear us in heaven, Th\- dwelling-place, O God, our 
Father; and to Thy name will we give the prai.se, as it was 
in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without 
end. Amen. 



54 The Centennial Celebration and 



ADDRESS. 

By Senator Thomas F. Bayard, of Dehnuare. 

My Fellow- Countrymen : I feel sensibly the honor of hav- 
ing been selected by the citizens of Newburgh to preside 
over the interesting ceremonies of to-day. 

As a native of one of the thirteen States which originally 
formed the Union, I accept the honor of your selection in 
the name of Delaware, whose citizens treasure the memory 
of the part their ancestors bore in our united struggle for 
National Independence, and cherish the honest fame of their 
forefathers, whose fidelity and courage were well attested 
on the long line of battle-fields which stretches from Long 
Island to the Savannah River. 

To-day we have here assembled from our homes in States 
far distant from each other, drawn together by a common 
impulse of the brotherhood of American citizenship ; not as 
citizens of New York, nor of New Jersey, nor of Massachu- 
setts, nor of Virginia, nor of Delaware; not as citizens of 
any State, but as citizens of the United States, to commemo- 
rate with joyful gratitude the sacrifices, the toils, sufferings, 
and virtues of the band of patriots whose united valor ac- 
complished what their separate efforts could never possibly 
have achieved, and which have made us to-day the happy 
inheritors and possessors of liberty and independence under 
republican forms of government. 

A full century has passed; and now that we find ourselves 
in the midst of a bountiful harvest of prosperity, possessing 
all the elements of wealth and power, let us gratefully cast 
our eyes in retrospect of the condition of things one hundred 
years ago on this very spot whereon we stand to-day. 



Wasliiugtou Mojuiiiiciit at Nc'vburg]i, N. Y. 55 

That was the seed-time of American liberty and independ- 
ence ; this is the harvest home; and it is meet and just that 
we who to-day reap in joy and safety should remember those 
who sowed in toil and danger. 

This meeting was fitly opened by the voice of reverential 
praise and prayer to the Almighty Ruler of the Universe, 
in the hollow of whose hand rests the fate of men and 
nations, and whose providential care is so plainly discernible 
in the control of the marvelous struggle which our fore- 
fathers^a scanty band — conducted to a successful termina- 
tion under conditions that oftentimes seemed to forbid even 
hope and amid difficulties and adversities almost impossible 
now to conceive. 

Who can read the history of the eight eventful years of 
war from 1775 to 1783, even at this lapse of time, without 
breathless interest and agitation, mingled with wonder at 
the result? He who can rise from its perusal without a 
realizing sense, an absolute conviction, of the presence of the 
hand of an overruling Pro\'idence in human affairs, must 
indeed be strangely and abnormally constituted ; and he 
who fails to comprehend the true value of the virtues which 
marked the characters of the men of that period, who were 
the instruments of Providence in bringing forth strength 
out of weakness and victory out of defeat, can know but 
little of the true origin of our present happy condition, of 
the metliods by which it was attained, and the conditions 
under which alone we can hope to preser\'e it. 

With minds and hearts freed from the asperities, jealousies, 
and misunderstandings which may have been engendered 
by the political differences and personal ambitions of our 
time, let us, forsaking all such tilings, return to the day 
whose hundredth anniversary we celebrate. 

It was the day on which tlie Continental Congress issued 
its proclamation amiouuciug the end of "a contest involving 
the essential rights of human nature," and invoked Divine 
aid " to give wisdom and unanimity to our public councils, 



56 The Centennial Celebration and 

to cement all our citizens in the bonds of affection, and 
inspire them all with an earnest regard for the national 
honor and interest. ' ' 

The Congress was then in session at Princeton, in New 
Jersey, whither it had withdrawn from Philadelphia by 
reason of the turbulence of a discontented and mutinous 
portion of the Army; and Washington, having suppressed 
the disorder, had, at the request of Congress, left the Head- 
quarters of the Army at Newburgh, and taken up quarters 
at Rocky Hill, a few miles distant from Princeton. 

There is a happy coincidence in the day of this proclama- 
tion, for it is also the anniversary of the victory at York- 
town, October i8, 1781, followed by the capitulation, on the 
19th, of the British army under Lord Cornwallis, and the 
virtual end of the war; for no battle of importance was 
fought after that date. 

When the news of the preliminar)- treaty of peace, which 
had been signed at Paris, January 20, 1783, was conveyed 
to this country by an armed French vessel, well named 
The Triumph^ Congress issued a proclamation of the event, 
under date of April 11, 1783, and Washington promulgated 
from these Headquarters his memorable order for the cessa- 
tion of hostilities, and recalled the fact that its date, April 
19, was the anniversary of the battles of Lexington and 
Concord, where the first blood had been shed in the struggle 
for American Independence, eight years before, and which 
was now crowned with complete success. 

On October 18, 1783, Congress issiied proclamation of the 
signing of the definitive treaty of peace. General Henry 
Knox, the brave book-seller of Boston, whose robust frame 
of mind and body made him so distinguished and impres- 
sive a figure in the great struggle, and whose patriotic 
virtues and abilities brought him so close in peace and in 
war to the heart and confidence of his great leader, was 
then in command at West Point, and by him was the action 
of Congress made known to the Army; congratulations were 
tendered upon the prospect of a permanent and honorable 



]]\isJiiiigloii MoiiHDicnt at Nc'a'hitrgli, A'. Y. 57 

peace, and tlianks awarded to tlie Army for long, eminent, 
and faithfnl services. Its final disbandment was annonnced 
in tliese words: 

It is our will and pleasure that such part of the Federal Aiiny as 
stands engaged to serve during the war, and as by our acts of May 
26, June I I, August g, and September 26 last were furloughed, shall 
from and after November 3 next be absolutely discharged by virtue 
of this proclamation from said service. 

And well was it that, nnder the wise recommendation of 
Washington, these recited orders for furloughs had been 
liberally granted, and that officers and privates had been 
freely allowed, ever since early spring, to go back to their 
homes, until but a comparatively small body remained in 
arms ; for upon these brave men had fallen the chief 
stress and burden of the struggle, its sufferings and expos- 
ures. The perils of war had been dreadfully aggravated by 
want of proper supplies, and still more b)- a delusive .system 
of paper money. The miseries brought upon them by the 
fiction of an irredeemable paper currency were equal to all 
their other woes combined. Their starving families, their 
honorable debts, their daily needs, were all subjected to the 
curse of a depreciated and vitiated currency. 

What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give 
him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serjjent? 

Yet this was done by the Congress to the brave men who 
had .so fought and bled to establish their country's liberties, 
and claimed no more than their stipulated pay, which they 
never received; and, despite reiterated promises and "fine 
words" — promises which were never kept and words which 
were mere breath, "mouth honor" — the Ann)- was dis- 
banded and melted away; not without angry remonstrances; 
not without .serious threatenings; not, indeed, without pro- 
posed treasonable organizations, which last Washington 
withered with his fiery indignation and grotind to powder 
under his feet. 



58 The Centennial Celebration and 

Never was the weight of his personal character with the 
armies he led more strikingly manifested, nor its value to 
the country proven more importantly, than in this danger- 
ous crisis, when the crown of unchastened power and mili- 
tary ambition was held out to his grasp, only to be dashed 
to the earth by a love of country, which never for a moment 
was obscured by personal interest or ambition. 

If art is ever to preserve in marble or on canvas a true 
likeness in soul and body of this great man, the occasion of 
his thus putting under his feet the solicitations of unlawful 
ambition will surely be selected. 

Yet Washington never ceased, so long as he survived, to 
urge the just claims of his suffering companions in arms ; 
and his name at least is without reproach for the sins of 
omission in this regard, which have never been repaired, 
and which I fear now have become irremediable. 

Standing here in the sunshine of this October day, with all 
the glories of earth and sky enveloping a landscape singu- 
lar in its beauty, how powerfully do the local features appeal 
to us ! 

This ancient mansion, built by a Huguenot emigrant one 
hundred and thirt)'-three years ago, who sought and found 
in this land religious as well as civil liberty, was occupied 
for the year next preceding the disbandment of the Army 
as the Headquarters of the Commander-in-chief And, fortu- 
nately, the arm of public preservation has been thrown 
around it by the State of New York, by whom it was pur- 
chased, and since 1850 it has been in the hands of trustees, 
to be preserv^ed as nearly as possible in the condition in 
which Wa.shington left it a hundred years ago. 

Faithfully and well this trust has been administered, and 
the homely and simple features of the dwelling inside and 
out have been carefully maintained; relics of the war have 
been here collected, and, in pious pilgrimage, the genera- 
tions of this and future days can repair hither to note with 
reverential interest the simple habits of the founders of the 
Great Republic. The mansion is in itself an impressive 



U'ashntg/oii MoiiiiDicnf af i\'ezL'l)nrgh^ A'. Y. 59 

orator, and its consecration and conservation as the casket of 
patriotic memories is a duty which will faithfully be fulfilled. 

It is also a subject of congratulation that the Congress of the 
United vStates and the Legislature of the State of New York 
have joined in recognition and gratification of the wishes of 
the American people by appropriating funds for the erection 
upon these grounds of a memorial column. To-day, in the 
presence of the (rovernors of mau>- of the States; of repre- 
sentative bodies of the \-olunteer soldiery and militia of the 
several States; of detachments from the Army and Navy of 
the United States; of this vast concourse of American citi- 
zens, and beneath the folds of our national ensign, it was in- 
tended that the corner-stone should have been laid; but this 
has unavoidably been delayed. Soon, however, the column 
will arise, a conspicuous and attractive feature, to which the 
inquiring glance of every traveler upon the lines of railway 
or the bosom of the majestic river that flows past its base 
will be lifted; and so may it stand forever, pointing heaven- 
ward, to perpetuate remembrance of the courage and devo- 
tion of the patriotic Army whose last Headquarters were 
upon this spot. 

Standing upon this commanding height, what a wealth 
of historic scenery is spread before us ! The noble river 
flows in the serenity of its beauty and calm strength, just 
as it did nearly three centuries ago, when the hardy and ad- 
venturous Dutch navigator, whose name it bears, first cast 
anchor in the bay that lies below us. A little later and 
the flag of Holland yielded place to that of Great Britain. 
Another century passed, and the flag of the American Union 
of States was raised, and has now for more than one 
hundred years floated in placid security above these waters, 
the symbol of the controlling and uuquestioned authority 
of a government truly deri\'ing "its powers from the con- 
sent of the governed." 

Yet, as we cast our eyes down this beautiful channel of 
the Hudson until they rest upon West Point, memories 
arise of mingled shame and honor. Then, as now, liuman- 



60 The Centennial Celebration and 

ity exhibited its weakness as well as its strength; its selfish- 
ness as well as its self-sacrifice; its baseness as well as its 
nobility. The same place that reminds us of George Wash- 
ington recalls Benedict Arnold. 

The dangers to the cause of American liberty at that early 
day were from within as well as from without. There were 
traitors and peculators, and faint and false hearted time- 
servers ; and great was the embarrassment and sore the dis- 
tress they caused and the injuries they inflicted upon the 
struggling patriots. 

It is to be hoped that one result of this and other com- 
memorations of the historic events of the Revolutionary 
period may induce among our countrymen a more careful 
revision and study of those times, and a realization of the 
difficulties and dangers which our forefathers surmounted in 
their toilsome journey to Independence and national exist- 
ence. In the words of Hopkinson, let us be "ever mindful 
what it cost." 

If we look for the causes of the success of the arms of 
the United Colonies, of "the embattled farmers" who with- 
stood the mighty armaments of Great Britain, we discern 
not alone valor and determination born of a holy and uncon- 
querable resolve to die as freemen rather than live as slaves, 
but also the rigid enforcement of the simple and practical 
virtues essential to a people so weak in wealth and resources. 
The men who led that struggle were personally rigidly 
honest and honorable, and with close and painful economy 
they underwent the severest privations, which were essential 
to save and to spare the slender treasury of their country. 
Had these unshowy and simple virtues been replaced by a 
careless and lavish prodigality ; had an easy, pleasure-loving 
self-indulgence and luxury been substituted for stern self- 
denial and frugality, how soon would the contest have been 
brought to a fatal close ! 

How can the influence of the personal example set by 
Washington and his associates be overrated in giving a 



IVasliingloii MoiiuDunt at Nczchitrgli^ N. Y. 61 

tone of unselfish devotion and sterling integrity in public 
service? Do you remember his words to Congress iu his 
first address as President of the United States? 

When I was first honored witli a calt into the service of my country, 
then on the eve of an arduous struggle for its liherties, the hght in 
which I contemplated my duty required that I should renounce 
every pecuniary compensation. From this resolution I have in no 
instance departed ; and, heing still under the impression which pro- 
duced it, I must decline, as inapplicable to myself, any share in the 
personal emoluments which may be indispensably included in a per- 
manent provision for the Executive Department, and must accord- 
ingly pray that the pecuniary estimates of the station in which I am 
placed may, during my continuance in it, be limited to such actual 
expenditures as the public good may be tliought to require. 

How high aird clearly-cut against the sky of history rises 
the column of the jaersonal character of these patriot sires, 
crowned with strict hoiresty and clean-handed integrity, not 
one of whom ever grew rich in office or attempted to fatten 
at the public cost, but many of whom became poor by de- 
voting themselves to the advancement of their country. 

Such are the personal qualities that make a nation; and, as 
the success in obtaining American Independence was chiefly 
due to them, so the cause of their adversaries was propor- 
tionately weakened by the prevalence of mercenary senti- 
ments, which demoralized the forces sent for our destruction. 
Much light has been lately thrown upon the inner history 
of the administration of the British Government during 
the reign of George III, whilst the war against the Colonies 
was being waged so unrelentingly, and the picture drawn 
by Trevelyan, in his life of Charles James Fox, of the 
"spoils system " of that day accounts for much of the disas- 
ter and disappointment that awaited the attempts to subdue 
the Colonies and added such fearful sums to the British debt. 
According to this writer, the official circles of the King- 
dom were honey-combed with corruption ; offices of honor 



62 The CciiUiniial Celebration and 

and importance were held but as merchandise; the spirit of 
public plunder reigned supreme. ' ' Members of Parliament 
bought their seats and then sold themselves. The King 
himself selected, as his special department, the manipula- 
tion of the House of Commons; he furnished the means and 
minutely audited the expenditures of corruption. Every 
reformer of abu.ses who had got hold of a thread of jobbery 
which was strangling the commonwealth was discouraged 
from following the clew by the certainty that it would lead 
him sooner or later to the door of the royal closet." 

Thus venality and servility became ingrained in every 
branch of the public service, and disinterested patriotism 
was relegated into obscurity. The names of command- 
ing officers on sea and on shore in the campaigns against 
America have been associated with transactions which 
prove that their abilities were directed against the public 
exchequer rather than against the forces of the enemy. 
Again says Trevelyan: 

The King knew the secret history of all the hucksters of politics, 
the amount at which they appraised themselves, the form in which 
they got their price, and the extent to which they were earning their 
pay by close attendance and blind subservience. * * * He was 
at home in the darkest corners of the political workshop, and up to 
the elbows in those processes which a high-minded statesman sternly 
forbids, and which even a statesman who is not high-minded leaves 
to be conducted by others. 

Contrast this wretched picture with the condtict of the 
men who led the American colonists through the long and 
ardtious struggle for their liberties. 

It was a war on the one side for dominion, regardless of 
justice, by a rich and powerful empire, whose forces were 
wielded tinder an administration weakened by corruption, 
immorality, and profligate expenditure; in which patriotic 
objects were but little regarded, and the gratification of pas- 
sion stood in lieu of a conscientiotis pursuit of the public 
welfare. On the other side, with forces numerically feeble 



ll'as/iiuq/oii Mii/iiiiitoi/ a/ iVc-a'biirg/i^ N. ]'. 63 

and almost wholly unsupplicd with the sinews of war, a 
scanty band of agricultural colonists, animated In' a pure 
and loft)- love of liberty, standing in defense of their birth- 
rights of home and fireside, sustained by a religious faith 
in the justice of their cause, and aided by the practice of 
honesty and frugalit>- in the administration of their re- 
sources, emerged from the unequal contest victorious and 
unstained. 

Look to-day at the carefully-kept accounts of Washing- 
ton's personal expenditures as Commander-in-chief of the 
forces, filed by him at the close of the war in the Depart- 
ment of vState: marvels of honest precision and models in 
character. Scan closely the jiersonal characters of the coun- 
selors he selected for his Cabinet. The first. General Hcnrv 
Knox, Secretary of War; next, Alexander Hamilton, vSecre- 
tary of the Treasury; then, Edmund Randolph, Attorney- 
General; and Thomas Jefferson, Secretary' of State. For 
the Supreme Court he selected John Jay as the Chief-Justice, 
and Rutledge, Wilson, Cushing, Blair, and Iredell as a.ssoci- 
ate justices. Ever}- name is lustrous with virtue and talents; 
upon the character of none rests the slightest cloud. Each 
of these upright and patriotic men accepted the creed of 
Burke: "The principles of true politics arc those of morality 
enlarged;" and public confidence naturalK- followed, ratify- 
ing and approving his choice of coimselors. vSuch men are 
the proper depositaries of public power at all times and 
under any form of government; and well is it for a people 
when such men occupy their highest stations. 

By such nominations Washington was putting in practice 
the precepts he had given to the governors of all the .States 
in a circular letter, written on June 8, 1783, from these 
Headquarters. vSaid he: 

This is the nionient to give sue li a tone to our P'ederal Govern- 
ment as will enable it to answer tlie ends of its institution ; or tliis 
may be the ill-fated moment for relaxing the power of the Union and 
annihilating tlie cement of the Confeileration, 



64 The Centennial Celebration and 

And then he continues in such words of patriotic counsel, 
that you must permit me to recall them, and ask you to 
engrave them on your memories: 

Four things are essential to the well-being and existence of the 
United States as an independent power : 

First. The indissoluble Union of the States under one federal head. 

Second. A sacred regard to public justice. 

Third. The adoption of a proper peace establishment. 

Fourth. The prevalence of that pacific and friendly disposition 
among the people of the United States which will induce them to 
forget their local prejudices and politics; to make those mutual con- 
cessions which are requisite to the general prosperity ; and, in some 
instances, to sacrifice their admitted advantages for the interest of 
the community. 

These are the pillars on which that glorious fabric of our independ- 
ence and national character must be supported. Liberty is the basis, 
and whoever would dare to sap the foundation or overthrow the 
structure, under whatever specious pretext he may attempt it, will 
merit the bitterest execration and severest punishment which can be 
inflicted by his injured country. 

Even then, standing on the threshold of a great future, 
his patriotic eye discerned the essentials upon which his 
country must rely for its safety and progress. His coun- 
sels, wise and true then, are equally so and as valuable 
to-day; and it is well for us, in considering the safety and 
well-being of the vast superstructure of population, wealth, 
and varied human interests which has been built upon the 
foundations laid by Washington and his associates a century 
ago, to remember from what materials its strength was 
derived, and to what principles it owes its permanence and 
must depend for its future safety. 

In stating the reasons and objects of this impressive con- 
vocation I have detained you longer perhaps than I had a 
right, but the earnestness of my feelings as an American 
citizen, my sincere desire to keep alive the glorious tradi- 
tions of the early heroism of our history, must plead my 
excuse. 



W'ashhigloii Moiiniiunl af Nc2vbn>-gh^ N. Y. 65 

On behalf of the coininittee charo;ed with conducting 
these exercises I bid you all welcome in the name of our 
common i\merican citizenship, and congratulate }on that 
we are now to ha\-e the privilege of listening to an address 
appropriate to the occasion h\ a distinguished citizen of 
the vState of New York, who has held high places in the 
public ser\'ice with honor to himself and benefit to the 
country. I have the honor and pleasure to introduce to 
you the Hon. William j\I. Evarts. 

H. Mis. 6oi c 



66 The Ciulrniiial Celebration and 



ORATION 

By Hon. William M. Evarts, (/ Nciv York. 

What measure or limit can there or should there be to 
the joy and pride with which a great, fortunate, prosperous, 
and powerful people looks back upon the men, the action, 
and the events which have determined their destiny and 
made sure their happiness? In every form and with every 
degree of interest and zeal, such a people does insist, and 
should insist, that these glories of their inheritance shall 
never fade from the eyes of themselves or their posterity. 
The scenes where momentous transactions have had their 
birth the}- will mark with durable monuments; they will 
search out and commemorate every noble purpose and every 
virtuous act which have made up the collective force and 
secured the general triumph; they will emblazon with their 
admiration and their gratitude the names and deeds of the 
illustrious actors in these great affairs; and, finally, they 
will swell the impulse and volume of the impressions of 
the heroic past, which they preserve and transmit to their 
descendants with their own homage and applause. 

These natural and necessary sentiments and habits of a 
generous and grateful people are constant and should be 
perpetual. Their disuse or decay will not dim the luster of 
the historic period, but simply mark, alas! the degeneracy 
of the later times, and forebode the failure, or at least the 
eclipse, of the splendid fortunes which have proved too 
weighty for the shrunken virtues of unworthy heirs. 

But though the fires of a people's gratitude and venera- 
tion for the founders and preservers of a nation should never 
be suffered to go out upon the altar, there needs must occur 
epochs for the excitement and display of these feelings, 
which will brighten their flame and fill the whole air with 



}}'cisIiiitg/oii Mdiiiiiiiiiit a/ Xfirbiirg//^ X. )'. (J7 

their warmth and li_o;lit. Such an enli\'eninent of pojjukir 
entluisiasin over the principal events and famous characters 
of our civil and military history was a conspicuous attendant 
of our great civil war. It animated the whole public mind 
with love of the great countrx' and dex'Otion to the benefi- 
cent institutions which our fathers' wisdom and courage 
had prepared as a habitation of liberty and justice for their 
descendants forever. It inspirited the young and the old, 
the rich and the poor, the men and the women, the scholar 
and the plowman, tlie .soldier and the statesman, to vie 
with the toil and hardships in which the foundations of the 
great structure were laid by heroic ancestors, and, by equal 
labors and sacrifices, to preserve, defend, and perpetuate, 
for our remotest posterity, an unmutilated territory and an 
uncorrupted constitution. The examples, the precepts of 
the fathers were the model and the guide of their children. 
They agitated the whole ma.ss of patriotism and power 
which a free, a brave, an intelligent, a strenuous people 
placed at the service of a government they adored against 
a rebellion they abhorred. Let later generations, in the 
assured enjovment of the great heritage, debate how the 
sum of their admiration or gratitude shall be distributed 
between the founders and the preser\'ers of their constituted 
liberties. For ourseh-es, we are content to say and to feel 
that "the glory of children are their fathers," and to la>' 
the mighty heroism of our own day as a gift upon the altar 
of our country, to enrich the name and the fame of the 
founders of the Republic. 

But a renewal of a people's re\-erence and affection for the 
founders of their nation may justly be connected with the 
mere revolution of time, and the recurrence of dates mark- 
ing the lapse of an important period in the measure of 
human affairs. vSuch a period, in the common judgment 
of mankind, is noted by the expiration of a hundred }-ears. 
So durable an impression upon the course of things itself 
gi\'es significance to an event, and when the event is one, 



68 The Ccnleiuiial Celebration and 

in its essential character, of moment and the highest dignity, 
its centennial inevitably revives its memory and awakens 
public attention. 

The first outbreak of armed resistance to British author- 
ity in the Colonies occurred on the 19th of April, 1775, at 
Concord, in Massachusetts, where was fired "the shot heard 
round the world." C)n the 19th of April, 1783, near the 
spot where we now stand, was read to the armies of the 
United States, by the order of General Washington, their 
Commander-in-chief, a proclamation of Congress, directing 
a cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and the 
United States. Within this space of preci.sely eight years, 
then, are comprehended all the military transactions of the 
Revolutionary War. The corresponding centennial period 
has witnessed the celebration of the principal incidents of 
the glorious and successful' conduct of our arms, and their 
final triumph. These celebrations have followed the course 
of military operations over the whole theater of the war. 
Sometimes they have engaged the attention of local pride 
and interest only, and in other instances they have enlisted 
the general attention of the people and the active partici- 
pation of the Government. In all, one spirit and one pur- 
pose have shaped the popular demonstrations and inspired 
tne commemorati\e addresses. This spirit and this purpose 
have been, not of rivalry or of discord, but of unison and 
unbroken sympathy and enthusiasm in the grand effort and 
the grand result which made us a free, independent, and 
united people; which established a government adequate for 
the maintenance of our constituted liberties against domestic 
danger and foreign menace, and which are justified, to the 
general judgment of mankind, as the greatest transaction of 
recorded history and the most beneficent fabric of human 
institution which the world has witnessed. 

Accordingly, the battles of the war, beginning with Con- 
cord and Lexington and Bunker Hill, embracing Benning- 
ton and Saratoga, and ending with the siege and surrender of 



ll'ashiiii^/oii Moiiiiiiif?!/ a/ N(':i'hiiro//, N. }'. (!!) 

Yorktown, have in turn been made tlie occasion of spirited 
and impressive celebrations. Tlic valor of the soldiers; 
tlieir unflinching endurance of hunger and cold and every 
form and degree of suffering and hardship; their jirogress 
in discipline till they could face and overcome the regular 
troops of the great military power with which we were 
engaged; the bravery, the skill, the genius of their com- 
manders; the patience and persistence of their campaigns 
and their strategy; their fortunes and their \ictorics — these 
all were recalled by the chosen orators, these all received 
the plaudits of the gathered crowds, all touched their hearts, 
moved now to the tenderness of tears, and, again, inflamed 
and aroused as at the sound of a trumpet. 

In the midst of these festive pomps and proud gratula- 
tions of our people at the triumj)hant issue of our arms in 
the war of the Revolution, the sobriet\- of their judgment 
and their instincti\'e subordination of militar\' glory to civic 
greatness were exhibited in the pre-eminence given to the 
connnemoration of the great central deliberati\e transac- 
tion, in the service of whicli all the heroism and successes 
of the war had their motive and their end. I mean, to he 
sure, tlie Declaration of Independence, a civic transaction of 
which history has no parallel, and which must stand ever 
to the admiring esteem of statesmen and philosophers, as 
It does in the unquestioning faith of our whole people, as 
the consummate work of the most profound wisdom and 
the most intrepid courage which a political assembly has 
ever exhibited. Fit indeed was it that upon the centennial 
of that transaction the nation to which it gave birth should 
invite the other nations of the world to a generous compari- 
son of the arts, the power, the victories of peace. The con- 
cour.se of our own population, the attendance of foreign vis- 
itors from all cjuarters of the globe, witnessed and formed 
part of the grand demonstration of the greatness of the new 
nation, which had thus been born in a day, and of the benign 
influences upon which it relied to make good its claims 
upon the attention and respect of the wurld. 



70 The Centennial Celebration and 

This contimious and manifold presentation to the homage 
and applanse of our countrymen of the course of that mar- 
velous succession of events of which the centennial dates 
had recurred, had left unmarked one stage and act of the 
great drama — that stage and act which this vast assemblage 
has collected to celebrate to-day. 

In the interval between the surrender of tlie British army 
to the combined forces of the United States and of France 
at Yorktown and the definitive treaty of peace, by which the 
results of the war, as establishing our independence, were 
recognized by Great Britain, our armies were encamped 
upon these neighboring fields. Upon this very spot Wash- 
ington had his headquarters. The other great generals of 
the patriotic Army were disposed all about this, the central 
position. 

The disaster to the British arms in Virginia was regarded 
as the last battle of the war. This victory in the field was 
counted by us as the complete and final triumph of our cause. 
France, our generous ally in the darkest days of our conflict, 
shared in the opinion that the military operations of the war 
were closed at Yorktown. The suddetfness and the com- 
pleteness of the discomfiture of the British arms made the 
approaches to the settlement of the terms of peace the more 
uncertain and the more tedious. The British prime minister. 
Lord North, we are told by the messenger who conveyed to 
him the intelligence of the surrender of Cornvvallis, received 
the news "like a bullet in his heart." 

The pacification of Europe, through the firmness of the 
friendship of France, waited upon the completion of our 
independence in its treaty recognition by the mother 
country. But so grave a transaction, besides being repug- 
nant to the pride of England and intolerable to the temper 
of her King, involved the questions of boundaries to the 
new sovereignty, of extra-territorial privileges, of partici- 
pation in common rights which were incapable of partition. 
Meanwhile, the American armies must await, inactive, 



IJ^as/i/iio/oi! Moiii/iiini/ a/ Nf7i'l>iiro/i, X. Y. 71 

the slow result of these eoinplex negotiations. The\' must 
be held in readiness for the renewal of hostilities if the 
expectations of peace and independence should be disap- 
pointed. The exigencies of the public service must control, 
and for an indefinite period, the conduct of an ann>- which 
had no reason for its existence but the country's need of its 
service in a defensive war, and must maintain the liold for 
that army's support upon the voluntary aids of the vStates, 
when both army and people belie\-ed the war was over and 
its ends secured. 

This ordeal of the virtue of these citizen soldiers, of the 
.steadfastness and authority of these repidjlican officers; this 
trial anew of the great qualities of Washington ; this test of 
the unbalanced scheme of the Revolutionary (xovernment, 
were all pa.s.sed through in the experience of the eighteen 
months that the Army was disposed in its cantonments on 
these surrounding fields, and its Commander-in-chief occu- 
pied these Headquarters at Newburgh. 

The occurrences which would mark this peculiar situa- 
tion of war without hostilities, without securities of peace, 
would necessarily be interesting; they proved to be moment- 
ous. In moral and political sequence, as well as in time, 
they closed the heroic period of our history. Their cele- 
bration here and to-day completes the pious duty with which 
this era of power and prosperit)- gratefully commemorates 
the days to which it traces their growth. 

The intrinsic interest of the occurrences which followed 
one another during the transition of the people and of the 
Army from war to peace has attracted great attention to 
this chapter of our Revolutionary history. It is no wonder, 
then, that the populous communities that have grown up 
around and upon the scenes of these transactions; that have 
been brought up upon the traditions, the a.ssociations, the 
inspirations of the place, should have felt a sensible interest 
in their commemoration and illustration by suitable monu- 
ments and appropriate ceremonies. The government of the 



72 The Cciitouiial Celebration and 

State has created a permanent protective trust to preserve 
from change, injury, or decay the edifice made sacred by its 
occupation for so long a period by Washington as a home 
for himself and his wife, and as the hospitable resort of the 
distinguished generals that were grouped about him. An 
equal zeal has provided for the restoration of the famous 
building, known as the "Temple," within whose walls were 
so often collected, for religious worship and for public delib- 
erations, the soldiers and the officers of the patriot Army 
during this their last encampment. 

So great and general, so serious and momentous interests, 
however, clustered about these scenes, that neither to local 
attachment nor to State pride exclusively could the duties 
and the ceremonies of this celebration be properly committed. 
The Congress of the United States resolved that a joint .select 
committee of the two houses should be appointed, whose 
duty it should be "to make, independently, of itself, or in 
connection with the trustees of Washington's Headquarters 
and the Citizens' Committee, all necessary arrangements for a 
befitting celebration of the centennial ceremonies commemo- 
rative of Washington's refusal to accept a crown, the procla- 
mation of peace, the disbandment of the Army, and other 
notable Revolutionary events, to be held at Washington's 
Headquarters, in the city of Newburgh and State of New 
York." Under, then, these united auspices of the city, the 
State, and the Nation this public celebration is held, and by 
the favor and invitation of the committee of the two houses 
of Congress I enjoy tlie privilege of taking part in it. 

The commemoration was further and justly recognized by 
Congressasof national concern by a judicious appropriation 
from tlie Treasury for the erection of a suitable monument 
upon these grounds, with such inscriptions and emblems as 
may properly commemorate the historical events which here 
took place. This action of Congress, taken with great una- 
nimity, shows the public judgment of the importance of these 
last acts in the Revolutionary period, in themselves and in 



W'asliiiigtoii Moiiiiiiifitt at X(-Li'hnri^li^ X. Y. 73 

their influence upon the complete and fortunate detennina- 
tion of our political institutions and our national life. That 
this estimate is but a just measure of these occurrences will 
appear from even a summary examination of their nature 
and of the public situation which g-ave rise to them. 

Our affairs had reached that staj^e when the minds of all 
men occupyin<^ conspicuous and responsible positions, either 
in civil or military eniplo\inent, wei^e en.^aged in solicitous 
consideration of the ,t(reat problem of the immediate future of 
the peojDle and the Government. The motives, the objects, 
the sentiments, and the passions that had formed the substan- 
tial and the adequate basis for unit\' of action I)v the different 
Colonies; that had knit together the friendships and fellow- 
ships of their public men; that had secured co-operation 
in matters of civil prudence and of military combination, 
were about to come to an end. Nay, more; they were to 
be replaced, it was feared, b\' tendencies and influences in 
which diversities of interests, personal jealousies and com- 
petitions, discordant opinions and acti\-e animosities woidd, 
on the ordinarv calculations of human character and con- 
duct, have the up]X"r hand. Every reflecting mind was more 
and more distressed with the conviction that the common 
oppressions, the common resentments, the common delibera- 
tions, and the combined action which had kept alive tlie 
prodigious energies (if the heroic struggle of a feeble people 
against a common and powerful enenu', would lose their 
cohesion and their momentum in their complete attainment 
of the common end — would all be swallowed up in the final 
victor\-. Whether or not new experiences, new dangers, 
and new necessities would teach new lessons of wisdom and 
supply a working force to mold and weld into unity and 
strength the scattered forces of these separate communities, 
when liberated from the inexorable pressure which had held 
them together, was a speculation which filled with anxiety 
the public mind. l!ut the hope, the forecast, the faith that 
would solve fill these doubts in the ultimate outcome did 



74 The CciiUniiial Cchhvalion a)id 

not meet the instant urgency of the question of the imme- 
diate means and agencies to be employed to avoid an evil 
catastrophe and smooth the progress to the establishment 
of a competent and united government. 

If these anxious speculations, if these distressing uncer- 
tainties occupied the thoughts of men in civil authority 
and formed the staple of popular discussion, we may easily 
imderstand how, in this long period of military inaction, 
they pressed with special anxieties upon the minds of the 
officers and the men of the Revolutionary Army. For the 
statesmen and magistrates, for the leaders of public opinion 
as well as for the mass of the people all over the country, 
the assured triumph of our arms and the establishment of 
our independence carried with them emotions of supreme 
personal satisfaction, and offered prospects of new honors 
and larger spheres of activity for civil ambition and new 
avenues of wealth and prosperity for energy and industry. 
If to the more circumspect and the more far-seeing the mists 
of doubt obscured these prospects, and vicissitudes, mis- 
chances, blunders, and disasters were counted among the 
probable experiences which might attend the progress of 
the Colonies, in their new political relations to each other, to 
a full development of unity and strength, these solicitudes 
were public and general, not personal or particular. Every- 
body was willing to accept his share of the common fortunes 
and bear his part in the common dangers or disappointments 
which might prove inseparable from citizenship in the new 
Republic. The glory of success, the pride of independence, 
the joy of new-born greatness colored everything for the 
great body of the people with bright anticipations for the 
future. 

To the officers and men of the Army as they lay in these 
encampments, and to their comrades on other fields or scat- 
tered on leave and furlough, the near future presented itself 
in quite a different aspect, and their own share in it gave 
rise to sharp anxieties and harassing perplexities. Seven 



Washino toil MiHiniitt III al W-ii'hnri^Ii, X. )'. 7"i 

long years oi'inilitai}- service, of enforced disuse of the peace- 
ful occupations of life, even if age and wounds and hardships 
had not seriously reduced health of body, or \-igor of mind, or 
buoyancy of spirits and of hope, had broken the wliole tenor 
of their lives and disabled them from competition, on equal 
terms, for the moderate successes of the narrow industries of 
a poor and frugal people. The rank and file would find the 
places which they would have occupied, had the\- not olicyed 
the call of their country to arms, filled by others. Tlie 
officers must expect that the liberal professions, the public 
employments, the gainful jiursuits of trade would be closed 
against them ; for the indispensable jierioil and stage of prepa- 
ration and apprenticeship had been lost to them forever while 
they were learning and .practicing the art of war, which vic- 
tory was to make useless to them for all their lives. The 
living sense of obligation to these officers and men for plac- 
ing their lives and fortunes at the .service and staking them 
upon the i.ssues of war, which had been none too hearty or 
profuse while their ser\'ices were needed and their courage 
and constancy were under immediate and admiring observa- 
tion, they must conclude would not long persist after tlieir 
services were ended and tlieir courage and constanc\' had 
borne all tlieir fruits. 

If the aspect of the future was thus disconsolate to these 
veterans when the\' looked at the general ma.ss of the peo- 
ple, in which they were soon to be swallowed up, it gained 
only a deeper color of sadness when the\' turned their eyes 
to the Revolutionary Oovernment, in whose service so 
much of their lives had been exhausted and their unmeasured 
triumph had been achieved. E\en in the urgencies of the 
war, at the most critical periods, when adequate supplies of 
money and men meant a.ssurance of success and tlieir de- 
nial certain disaster, the laxity of the ties by which the State 
go\-ernments were held together luider the central authority 
had been painfully evident. 

Already the natural and necessarv tendencv of the final 



76 The Ct'ittcitnial Celebration and 

military successes and the dawn of conclusive and perma- 
nent peace showed itself in progressive inattention of the 
Congress to the rights and the wants of the Army, and of 
the States to the reqiiisitions and authority of the Congress. 
It looked, indeed, to the soldiers as they lay in their tents, 
to the officers as they compared opinions in their messes or 
gathered about headquarters for news and for encourage- 
ment, as if the Revolutionary Government would decay, or 
even dissolve before their eyes, and the States would neg- 
lect, or even repudiate, the obligations to the Army whicli 
they were so slow to perform to the authentic Government 
which they had authorized to raise and support that Army 
to conduct the war, and, on its successful issue, to conclude 
the peace. 

Nor were these forebodings for the future, these distrusts 
of the present, vague or speculative. The Army, with a 
patience and good temper which can escape admiration only 
when they escape observation, had waited upon Congress, 
through correspondence and by committees, with calm, con- 
vincing, earnest, and pointed expositions of their sufferings 
and their solicitudes. These communications had included 
a just insistence upon their rights, a .self-respecting asser- 
tion of their merits, an explicit statement of their expecta- 
tions, and a vivid portrayal of their difficulties, their doubts, 
and their fears. 

With the utmost candor and good faith the soldiers and 
officers of the Army had impressed upon the collective Con- 
gress, upon the Governors of the States, upon the great 
statesmen and patriots in civil life throughout the country, 
as individuals, that the situation would no longer bear delay; 
that the temper of the sufferers could no longer brook neg- 
lect. As, nevertheless, no efficient public action followed, 
no genuine or responsible assurance of future action was 
held out, still more persistent pressure, still more vehement 
remonstrance ensued. These should have made evident to 
the Congress and the States, as they evinced on the part of 



JVas/iiiii;/<ii/ Moinniiiiil iit Xcu'lntrgli, N. Y. 77 

tlie i\rmv, a spreading coiu-iction that the time for argii- 
nieiit, for deliberation, for forljearance, was passing away, 
and that immediate action for tlie Army's necessities, or by 
the Army for its own protection, must end the weary delay. 

As the months wore away, and the situation, to the ap- 
prehension of these sober-minded and patriotic officers and 
men, showed no amelioration, discouragement gave place to 
despair. Tlie great Commander-in-chief had given to their 
views and demands his full support. He had approved the 
statements and enforced the arguments, the entreaties, the 
remonstrances with which they had urged them upon the 
Congress and the country. He sympathized, to the bottom 
of his heart, in the worthiness of their claims upon the 
justice and the gratitude of the Government and the jieo- 
ple alike, and in the indignation which filled their breasts 
at the slackness and indiflerence with which they were 
treated. This earnest ami faithful, this affectionate and in- 
trepid, support of their rights and their resentments by the 
great commander could not increase their love or deepen 
their reverence for him, for these were already immeasurable. 
I'ut when his great authority failed to gain that effectual 
attention which the urgency of their affairs demanded, they 
felt that the faults in the frame and scheme of govern- 
ment — to whicli alone, and not at all to the personal in- 
difference or incompetency of its members, they attributed 
this failure of justice and duty to the Army — were neither 
casual, nor partial, nor temporary. Upon this aspect and 
estimate they brooded, and cast about for some recourse that 
should meet the necessities of the Army, the interests of the 
people, both instant and permanent, and all the exigencies 
of good government for the nascent nation. 

For this juncture of the general need, for this failure of 
the existing forces, for this crumbling confidence, for this 
confu.sion of the old and the new, for this dark and clouded 
transition from the forsaken ]iast to the undisco\-ered and 
unformed future, there seemed but one real, one known, one 



78 The Coitcnnial Celcbratiou and 

adequate basis upon which faith, justice, and safety for all — 
for Army, Government, and People — could be built up. 
This basis was the name, the fame, the power, the character 
of Washington. These were the one possession of the new 
nation about which all minds, all hearts could gather; and 
add to his incomparable majesty of virtue, of dignity, of 
personal faculty, of universal service, and of unbroken for- 
tune, that homage and applause of all his countrymen, 
which should sober all doubts, dispel all fears, realize all 
hopes, satisfy all needs, put to flight all theories, all schemes, 
all discords, all experiments, all fancies, all treasons, and on 
this new scene, the fullness of time being come, present the 
crowning glory before the eyes of all men of what till now 
had been but the vision of political enthusiasm, "A Patriot 
King at the head of a United People." 

This, I am quite sure, my countrymen, is the true explana- 
tion of the rash and sudden movement of the patriotic Army 
to raise up for a patriotic people a patriotic king. In the brief 
record of this transaction, in the character of those engaged 
in it, in the circumstances surrounding them, in the motives 
and influences pla}-ing upon their minds, in the objects in 
view, and in the supposed value in their eyes of this last 
resort, I see no trace or suspicion of any vulgar, sordid, or 
selfish preference of the trappings of royalty, or of the drip- 
pings of a court, or of grades, or ranks, or titles, or classes 
among the people, over the simple and equal institutions 
which were the habit then, as they have since proved the 
glory and strength, of the nation. No motive but love of 
country, no object less worthy than the safety of the people, 
suggested this bright vision of an ideal monarchy, in which 
everything was romantic, in the sober light of our days, 
except the greatness and the goodness of Washington. 

We must, owever, understand that this step on the part 
of the Army must have been long reflected on, widely con- 
sidered, and have received a large, if not a general, concur- 
rence of opinion, before the officers could have deputed one 



U'asliiiiotiiii Miiuiiiiiciil al X(-;i'hitygIi^ .A'. )'. 79 

of their number to impart tliis tlieir design to Washington. 
No one coukl have conceived that any such design could be 
tolerated, entertained, much less embraced, by their loved, 
their revered commander, under any less elevated aspect 
than that of a mere l()\-e of connlrv, a mere compulsion of 
duty. The depth, the sincerit\-, the purity of their own 
sentiments on this profound interest of the new nation are 
guarantied by the simple fact that they made bold to submit 
it to the honest-hearted, clear-headed defender and jimtcctor 
of liberty and independence. 

I will not debate, his comitrymen ha\-e no need to debate, 
what .serious discredit or disaster, what immediate or ])er- 
manent disorder might have disturbed the noble jjrogress of 
our people from war to peace, from the inarticulate frame 
of the imperfect Government to the grand and solid struct- 
ure of the Constitution and the Union, if the man to whom 
and for whom this project was proposed had been less wise, 
less good, less great than Washington. In this critical post- 
ure of public affairs, which he painfully felt, before this 
sudden evidence of the length and breadth and depth to 
which the.se dangerous .specidations had spread and pene- 
trated in his beloved, his trusted, his faithful, his devoted 
Army, the rapid intelligence and prompt decision of their 
hero, their commander, their chosen master and king, fright- 
ened with his awful frown, crushed with his fierce indigna- 
tion, the pernicious scheme, and confounded all its projectors 
and supporters. His words were few and simple, uttered with- 
out parade, and with a sense of shame that he should need 
to .say in words what his whole life had expressed: "Be a.s- 
sured, sir, no occurrence in the course of the war has given me 
more painful .sen.sations than your information of there being 
such ideas existing in the Army as you have exjiressed and 
which I must view with abhorrence and reprehend with 
severity. * * * I am much at a loss to conceive what 
part of my conduct could have given encouragement to an 
address, which to me seems big with the greatest mischiefs 



80 The Cciilciiuial Celebration and 

that can befall my country. * * * Let me conjure you, 
then, if you have any regard for your country, concern for 
yourself or posterity, or respect for me, to banish these 
thoughts from your mind, and never communicate, as from 
yourself or any one else, a sentiment of the like nature." 

These modest Headquarters are no Lupercal, nor was 
honest Colonel Nicola a second Antony; the rugged repub- 
lican army that lay here encamped were not the Roman 
legions or the Roman mob, and Washington was not a 
Julius Caesar. No wonder that the greatest orator of the 
first age of our Government, Fisher Ames, said, and Web- 
ster, the greatest orator of his day, repeated, "Washington 
changed mankind's ideas of political greatness." No won- 
der that his countrymen to-day, led by the Congress of this 
great Republic, celebrate the transaction and the scene 
where Washington refused to accept a crown. 

But this event, notable and noted as it was, was soon fol- 
lowed by another of the gravest importance, upon this same 
scene and with the same actors. The same discontents and 
anxieties of the Army which had sought their satisfaction 
in a new form and frame of government, when this design 
was baffled and suppressed by the authority of Washington, 
meditated an assertion of military power to coerce the slow 
and feeble justice of the existing Government into an active 
attention to the rights of the Army, and a prompt succor of 
their sufferings and redress of their wrongs. This contem- 
plated and prepared movement of the Army gave to Wash- 
ington the most serious concern, excited his most energetic 
action, and was overthrown by him with consummate wis- 
dom and courage. 

The soldiers and their officers were all without present 
pay, had long wearily awaited the settlement of accounts 
and of arrears, and were passing from suspense into despair 
as to any provision for these, as well as for their future main- 
tenance, when they should no longer be necessarv', and, 
perhaps, no longer be remembered. The resolution of Con- 



jras/iiiig/oii Motiiniu'ii/ al Xczcbiirg/i^ A'. }'. 81 

gress, passed in October, 1780, granting half-pa)- for life to 
the officers, was but the engagement of a Government with- 
out funds or credit for its performance. The alternatives of 
prospective provision of a Continental fund, or of the sev- 
eral States undertaking to meet this burden of the half-pa\', 
seemed equally hopeless, for neither a constitutional majority 
of the States in Congress nor the individual States favored 
the measure itself The projDosed commutation of the half- 
pay for life for a gross sum, which the Army might be will- 
ing to accept, had come to no head in the public councils 
or in the public mind. In December, 1782, the officers of 
the Ami}- here encamped had intrusted to a committee of 
their number a careful and impressive memorial for presen- 
tation to and prosecution before Congress. This memorial 
set forth in serious terms the grievances of which the Army 
complained and the deplorable straits to which they were 
reduced by the continual failure of the civil authorities to 
heed and relieve their distressed condition. This committee 
had been competent and faithful in the discharge of their 
trust, and in February, 1783, had communicated the failure 
of any actual result, and the vagueness and remoteness of 
any future satisfaction of their just hopes. 

But little reflection is needed to appreciate the gravity of 
this situation, and the resentments and resistance of the 
Army against it soon broke out into the tone and attitude 
of the menace of armed remonstrance and military defiance. 
The Commander-in-chief, in a letter to the Governor of Vir- 
ginia, thus speaks of the temper and the danger which this 
state of things had (Ie\eloped : 

Although a firm reliance on the integrity of Congress, and a belief 
that the public would finally do justice to all its servants, and give an 
indisinitable security for the pa}'ment of the half-pay of the officers, 
had kept them, amid a \ariety of suft'erings, tolerably (juietand con- 
tented for two or three years past; yet the total want of pay, the 
little prospect of receiving any from the unpromising state of the 
pulilic finances, and tlie absolute aversion of the States to establish 
n. Mis. 001 (J 



82 Tlic Centennial Cc/cbrn/ion and 

any Continental tundb for the ]3ayment of the debt due the Army, 
did, at the close of the last campaign, excite greater discontent and 
threaten more serious and alarming consequences than is easy for me 
lo describe or for you to conceive. 

We may be sure, then, that when these cahii words of 
Washington estimate the difficulty and danger as incapable 
of exaggeration, the peril of the country was indeed alarm- 
ing. The crisis had come for which neither the Congress, 
the States, nor the people were prepared. It had come as 
a shock, because the processes, the influences, the natural 
sentiments leading to it had been silent, gradual, and un- 
noticed. Yet the accumulated neglects, imbecilities, and 
presumptions on the part of an imperfect Government, the 
accumulatnig sufferings, grievances, indignities, and resent- 
ments on the part of the Army, the griefs for the past and 
the despairs of the future, had proved too much for the 
temper, the forbearance, and the duty of these faithful, these 
veteran, these patriotic citizen soldiers. The Government 
whose call they had obe}ed, whose service they- had fulfilled 
through poverty and hunger and wounds, whose cause they 
had maintained, whose honor, whose safety, whose triumph 
they had made secure, was unable or unwilling to keep the 
engagements it had made in the past, was careless or in- 
competent as to any provision for their future. The people 
which they expected to be grateful was studying how to 
escape the obligation to be just. The chief share in the 
enjoyment of the advantages of a glorious and prosperous 
peace, which a generous consent should have assigned to 
those who had borne the chief brunt and burden of the war, 
was to be withheld from them, and humiliation and peiniry, 
embittered by pity and charity, were to be their inglorious 
fate. 

Against this their intelligence, their spirit, their pride, all 
that had made them the Army of Independence, the glory 
and defense of their country, rebelled. An eloquent, a pas- 
sionate, a resolute expression of the thoughts and feelings 



Washiiii^^ton Moiutiiiciit at Nc'a'bi(i\s;li^ N. Y. 83 

that stirred in the breasts of all was circulated among the 
officers, and was accompanied by a summons to meet at once 
for the consideration of their wrongs and the asserticjn of 
their power and their right to redress them. These appeals 
bore no name, nor did they need any personal authority to 
command and quicken sentiments and purposes wliicli were 
already formed and waited only to be combined ; the delib- 
erations thus invited were to conduct to a conclusive and 
peremptory determination to confront the Congress with the 
alternative of promptly meeting the demands of the Army, 
or beholding them refuse to lay down their arms or surrender 
their organization in case of a declaration of peace, or de- 
cline the further defense of the country in case hostilities 
should be renewed. "Tell them" — was the bold suggestion 
how the Army should deal with Congress in this dreadful 
issue between them — "tell them that, though you were the 
first, and would wish to be the last, to encounter danger; 
though despair itself can never drive you into dishonor, it 
may drive you from the field; that the wound, often irritated 
and never healed, may at length become incurable, and that 
the slightest mark of indignity from Congress now must 
operate like the grave, and part }ou forever; that in any 
political event the Army has its alternative. If peace, that 
nothing shall separate you from your arms but death ; if war, 
that courting the auspices and inviting the direction of 
your illustrious leader, you will retire to some unsettled 
country, smile in your turn, and 'mock when' their 'fear 
Cometh.'" 

Again, my countrymen, what was there to breast this 
sudden flood of "mutiny and rage?" What to still this 
storm? What to sta\' this rising conflict between the civil 
and military arms of the Government? What, indeed, but 
the name, the fame, the power, the character of Washing- 
ton? With instant decision he .set aside the anonymous call 
for the meeting, convoked the assembly for a day appointed 
by himself, and prescribed its constitution, its duty, and its 



84 Tlie Cnilcnnial Cclehralion ami 

method of proceedings. He attended and addressed it him- 
self, mastered it by the force of his reasons, the earnestness of 
his expostuh^tions, the anthority of his presence. The united 
voice of the assembled officers was but the echo of the wis- 
dom, the patriotism, the all-enduring obedience of the great 
citizen, the overwhelniingauthority of the great commander. 
And thus the illustrious leader suppressed the military revolt 
against the supremacy of the civil government as swiftly 
and as surely as he had overthrown the scheme to subvert 
its frame. 

For the rest, these great events passed, these great dan- 
gers escaped, these admirable and prosperous interpositions 
of the personal power of Washington saving the falling su- 
premacy of the civil authorities and subduing the restless 
spirit of the Army, the course of things till the final dis- 
bandment of the troops, till these Headquarters and these 
cantonments were all deserted, were marked by no further 
commotions. In this interval the Commander-in-chief 
penned his Address to the Governors of the States, in which 
he spoke to them, and through them to the Legislatures and 
the people, in far-seeing, far-reaching counsels of wisdom 
and duty, "as one having authority." On this very day 
one hundred years ago Congress issued a proclamation dis- 
banding all the armies, and Washington, from Princeton, 
under date of November 2, 1783, put forth his "Farewell 
Address to the Armies of the United vStates," 

These two remarkable papers embraced within their coun- 
sels, their exhortations, their instructions, their warnings, 
and their benedictions, the citizens and the soldiers of the 
whole country. They were at once the evidence and the 
annunciation that the great work of Independence was ac- 
complished and the Nation was established. No formal 
proclamation, no authentic acts of government, could carry 
the weight, could receive the attention, could pervade the 
public mind, could animate the hearts, could stimulate the 
conscience, could control the conduct of the people, passing 



U'tis/iii/o/oii Mt>i/tin/ii/f at X('~a'biirg/i, \. Y. 85 

from the wilderness into their promised land, as did these 
personal words of their great leader. He stood, he was to 
stand, upon the level of common citizenship with themselves. 
J5nt it was a citizenship which had been bnilt up, and was 
to endure as a crown of glory to a whole people, and an 
inheritance never to perish till they had lost the virtues 
illustrated and inculcated by Washington. 

The interest, the reverence, that we feel, as we recall these 
great transactions, as we stand upon the spot where they 
were enacted, center upon Washington. Great everywhere 
and at all times, the part played upon this field in these 
closing months of the Revolutioa was not less conspicuous 
nor complete in its greatness than any manifestation of his 
life. Had these events closed his public service ; had he 
then forever retired from the great theater of action and re- 
nown; had he never filled out our admiration and our grati- 
tude by the eight years of private life and the eight years 
of the Chief Magistracy which followed the surrender of his 
military command; if his great presence in the framing of 
the Constitution and in the guidance of the nation by high 
statesmanship and pure administration — -if all this had been 
wanting to the full splendor of his fame, if he stood to his 
countrymen in their memory as he stood upon this \^ery 
spot one hundred years ago, his face would have shone to 
all this people as did the face of Moses to the children of 
Israel when he delivered the Tables of the Law. 

And now, after a hundred years of marvelous fortunes and 
crowded experiences, we confront the days and the works 
and the men of the first age of the Republic. Three wars 
have broken the peace here proclaimed: The War for Neu- 
trality, to complete our independence, by establishing our 
right to beat peace, though other Powers .sought to draw us 
into their wars; the War for Boundary, which pushed our 
limits to the Pacific, and rounded our territory; the War 
of the Constitution, which established for this people that, 
for them and forever, "Liberty and Union are one and in- 



86 The Centennial Celebration and 

separable." These rolling years have shown growth — for- 
ever growth; and strength — increasing strength ; and wealth 
and numbers ever expanding; while intelligence, freedom, 
art, culture, and religion have pervaded and ennobled all 
this material greatness. Wide, however, as is our land and 
vast our population to-day, these are not the limits to the 
name, the fame, the power of the life and character of 
Washington. If it could be imagined that this nation, rent 
by disastrous feuds, broken in its unity, should ever present 
the miserable spectacle of the undefiled garments of his 
fame parted among his countrymen, while for the seamless 
vesture of his virtue they cast lots — if this unutterable 
shame, if this immeasurable crime, should overtake this 
land and this people, be sure that no spot in the wide world 
is inhospi'table to his glory, and no people in it but rejoice 
in the influence of his power and his virtue. 

If the great statesman and orator, Mr. Fox, could, in the 
British Parliament, e.xalt the character of Wa.shington as 
that "illustrious man, deriving honor less from the splendor 
of his situation than from the dignity of his mind; before 
whom all borrowed greatness sinks into insignificance, and 
all the potentates of Europe become little and contempti- 
ble;" if the famous eloquence of Erskine could speak of 
him "as the only human being for whom he felt an awful 
reverence;" if the political philosophy of Brougham pre- 
scribed it as " the duty of the historian and sage of all nations 
to let no occasion pass of commemorating this illustrious 
man;" if he asserted that "until time shall be no more will 
a test of the progress which our race has made in wisdom 
and virtue be derived from the veneration paid to the im- 
■ mortal name of Washington;" if our own great statesmen 
and orators join in this acclaim, 

Nil oriturum alias, nil ortum tale fatentes, 

let his countrymen with one voice accept and cherish this 
splendid possession, and exalt and perpetuate it now and 
forever. 



Washington Motuttiunt al Nc'a'burgJi, X. Y. «7 

THE LOXG DRAMA-KROM '76 TO •fe3. 

By Wallace Bruce. 

With banners bright, with roll of drums, 

With pride and pomp and civic state 
A nation, born of courage, comes 

The closing act to celebrate. 

We've traced the drama, page by page, 

From Lexington to Yorktown field : 
The curtain drops upon the stage, 

The century's book to-day is sealed. 

A cycle grand — with wonders fraught 

That triumph over time and space — 
In woven steel its dreams are wrought. 

The nations whisper face to face. 

But in the proud and onward march 

We halt an hour for dress parade, 
Remembering that fair freedom's arch 

Springs from the base our fathers laid. 

With cheeks aglow with patriot fire 

They pass in long review again, 
We grasp the hand of noble sire 

Who made tiL>o words of " noblemen." 

In silence now the tattered band — 

Heroes in homespun worn and gray — 
Around the old Headquarters stand 

As in that dark, uncertain day. 

That low-roofed dwelling shelters still 

The phantom tenants of the past ; 
Each garret beam, each oaken sill 

Treasures and holds their memories fast. 

Ay, humble walls ! the manger-birth 

To emphasize this truth was given : 
The noblest deeds are nearest earth, 

The lowliest roofs are nearest heaven. 



38 The Ccntoniial Celebration and 

We hear the anthem once again, 

" No king but God !" to guide our way — 

Like that of old, " Good will to men " — 
Unto the shrine where freedom lay. 

One window looking toward the east, 
Seven doors wide open every side ; 

That room revered proclaims at least 
An invitation free and wide. 

Wayne, Putnam, Knox, and Heath are there, 
Steuben, proud Prussia's honored son, 

Brave La Fayette from France the fair, 
And, chief of all, our Washington. 

Serene and calm in peril's hour, 
An honest man without pretense, 

He stands supreme to teach the power 
And brilliancy of common sense. 

Alike disdaining fraud and art. 

He blended love with stern command; 

He bore his country in his heart, 
He held his army by the hand. 

Hush, carping critic! read aright 
The record of his fair renown ; 

A leader by diviner right 

Than he who wore the British crown. 

With silvered locks and eyes grown dim, 
As victory's sun proclaimed the morn. 

He pushed aside the diaderii 

With stern rebuke and patriot scorn. 

He quells the half-paid mutineers, 
And binds them closer to the cause ; 

His presence turns their wrath to tears. 
Their muttered threats to loud applause. 

The Great Republic had its birth 
That hour beneath the Army's wing, 

Whose leader taught by native worth 
The man is grander than the king. 



The stars on tluU bright a/.iire field, 
Which proudly wave o'er land and sea, 

Were fitly taken from his shield 
To be our common heraldry. 

We need no trappings worn and old. 

No courtly lineage to invoke. 
No tinseled [ilate. but solid gold, 

No thin veneer, but heart of oak. 

No aping after foreign ways 

Becomes a son of noble sire; 
Columbia wins the sweetest praise 

When clad in simple, plain attire. 

In science, poesy, and art, 

We ask the best the world can give ; 
We feel the throb of Britain's heart. 

And will while Burns and Shakespeare live. 

But oh! the nation is too great 

To borrow enijjtiness and ]jride: 
Tlie queenly Hudson wears in state 

Her robes witli native pigments ilyed. 

October lifts with colors bright 

Its mountain canvas to the sky; 
Tiie crimson trees, aglow with light, 

Unto our banners wave reply. 

Like Horeb's bush, the leaves repeat 
From lips of flame with glory crowned: 

" Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, 
The place they trod is holy ground." 

O fairest stream beneath the sun! 

Thy Highland portal was the key, 
Which force and treason well-nigh won, 

Like that of famed Thermo]:iyl8e. 

That Ridge along our eastern coast. 

From Carolina to the Sound, 
Opposed its front to England's host. 

And heroes at each pass were found. 



89 



90 The Centennial Celebra/ion and 

A vast primeval palisade, 

With bastions bold and wooded crest, 
A bulwark strong, by nature made, 

To guard the valley of the West. 

Along its heights the beacons gleamed, 
It formed the nation's battle-line, 

Firm as the rocks and cliffs, where dreamed 
The soldier-seers of Palestine. 

Tiiese hills shall keep their memory sure ; 

The blocks we rear shall fall away ; 
The mountain fastnesses endure, 

And speak their glorious deeds for aye. 

And oh! while morning's golden urn 
Pours amber light o'er purple brim, 

And rosy peaks, like rubies, burn 
Around the emerald valley's rim; 

So long preserve our hearth-stone warm! 

Our reverence, O God, increase! 
And let the glad centennials form 

One long Millennial of Peace. 



U'as/iiiig/on MoiiiDiunt al Nczubitrgh, N. Y. 91 



DESIGN OF THE MONUMENT. 

In the selection of a design for the monument the Joint 
Select Committee encountered many difficulties. 

It was hardh- possible to have the monument erected in 
time for the Centennial Celebration, but it was hoped that 
the plan at least might be agreed upon and the corner-stone 
laid. With this object in view the Secretary of War, at 
the request of the committee, at once cau.sed an advertise- 
ment to be duly published, inviting proposals for a design. 
In response, several designs were submitted, but Congress 
had in the mean while adjourned, and the members of the 
Joint Select Committee had scattered to their respective 
homes. 

In pursuance of a call issued by the chairman, the E.xecu- 
tive Committee met at the residence of Mr. Beach, at Corn- 
wall, New York, on September 7, 1S83. 

Present: Senators Bayard, Miller, and Hawley, and Rep- 
resentatives Ketcham, Townsend, and Beach. 

The plans, bids, etc. , forwarded by the Secretary of War 
were opened and examined. 

There were also present, of the Newburgh Connnittee 
of Five, its chairman, Hon. Peter Ward, Mayor of the 
city; Hon. Joel T. Headley, Hon. M. H. Hirschberg, Hon. 
John J. S. McCroskery, and Dr. R. V. K. Montfort, its sec- 
retary. 

After listening to the remarks of the Newburgh repre- 
sentatives, the committee went into executive session. 



92 The Centennial Celebration and 

It was decided that, before coming to a conclusion, an 
inspection of the grounds about the Headquarters would 
be advisable. The committee thereupon proceeded in car- 
riages to Newburgh. 

Having examined the grounds and surroundings at Head- 
quarters, the committee re-assembled in the room once occu- 
pied by Alexander Hamilton. 

Senator Bayard moved that the committee approve of a 
monolithic obelisk for the Newburgh ]\Ionument at Wash- 
ington's Headquarters, of the proportions and measurements 
and of light-colored and fine-grained granite, as required 
by the Secretary of War in his specifications to bidders, 
the obelisk to be the largest obtainable for the money in 
hand, and to possess the requisite qualifications. Adopted. 

Mr. Beach then moved that the matter of inscriptions be 
deferred to a future meeting of the committee; which mo- 
tion was adopted. 

The committee thereupon adjourned. 

The money at the disposal of the Secretary- of War for 
the erection of the monument was not adequate to excite 
competition among artists of established reputation. With 
a single exception, none of the bidders were artists or sculpt- 
ors whose previous efforts would afford a reasonable guar- 
anty that their plans, when wrought into execution, would be 
either creditable to themselves or satisfactory to the public. 
For this reason the Executive Committee decided in favor 
of an obelisk. The decision of the committee was criticised 
severely in the public press, and was in apparent opposition 
to the wishes of the residents of the city of Newburgh. 
The Trustees of Washington's Headquarters, at a meeting 



held on October 26, 18S3, miauimuusly adopted the follow- 
ing resolution: 

J?,-so/-r,f, That, in tlu- judf^mcnt <A the Trustees of Washington's 
Headquarters, the erection of an obehsk upon the Head(iuarters 
grounds wouUl be incongruous and inartistii ; and the Hon. Lewis 
Beach is earnestly urged b)- tins Board to press upon the connnittee 
of which he is chairman, and which is in charge of the contemplated 
National and State memorial, the adoption of some design for a 
monument more in accordance with propriet)- and public taste and 
opinion. 

The Hi-storical vSociety of Newburgh Bay and the .High- 
lands, at a meeting held in the city of Newburgh, on Friday 
evening, February 22, 1884, adopted a resolution, of which 
the following is a copy: 

Resolved, That, in the judgment of this society, the proposed cen- 
temiial memorial to lie erected at Washington's Headquarters, in 
Newburgh, should be in the form of a statue, with Washington 
either as the sole or principal figure; and that it should be designed 
by an American artist of national reputation, and should be erected 
for the puri>ose of showing a nation's regard for the devoted patriot- 
ism and domestic virtues of the illustrious commander, statesman, 
and citizen, as here developed at the close of the Revolution, and 
that it should be so placed as to awaken increased interest and regard 
for the picturesque stone house, now consecrated by so many mem- 
ories of the past. 

The Hon. Benson J. Lossiug, the historian, sent a letter 
to the committee, from which the following extract is made: 

The erection of a shaft or other monument of marble or granite is 
only an imitation of the rude commemorative structures of barbaric 
nations— a cairn— a mere " heap of stones " that tell you nothing with- 
out an inscription, which time and the elements will efface. * » * 
Let us have a Christian statue ; not a heathen " heap of stones," 



94 The Cetitoiiiial Celebration and 

The Newburgh Committee of Five also held a meeting 

on September i8, 1883, at which the following motion was 

adopted : 

On motion, Mr. Beach is requested to use his influence to induce 
the Joint Congressional Committee to adopt some other form than 
the ohelisk, in deference to the manifest judgment of the public, as 
expressed by the press and the judgment of this committee. 

At a meeting of the Joint Select Committee on the 
Newburgh Monument, held at the rooms of Mr. Beach, in 
Washington, on the evening of May 26, 1884, the following 
members were present : Senators Bayard, Miller, Hawley, 
and Hill; Representatives Ranney, Ciirtin, Ellis, Ketcham, 
and Beach. 

Mr. Beach requested Mr. Hawley to preside. 

Mr. Beach then called attention to the previous action of 
the Executive Committee in recommending an obelisk, and 
stated that an obelisk had been severely criticised by the 
press, and was objectionable to the residents of Newburgh. 
He read resolutions passed by the local Committee of Five, 
the Trustees of Washington's Headquarters, and the Histor- 
ical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands. He also 
gave extracts from a letter written by the Hon. Benson J. 
Lossing, which were, alike with the resolutions, adverse to 
an obelisk. He then stated that he had called the full com- 
mittee together for the purpose of reconsidering the action 
of the Executive Committee, and he trusted that such re- 
consideration would be had, in view of the popular demand. 

After some time spent in an interchange of views, it was 
moved by Senator Hill that artists of well-established repu- 
tation be consulted and requested to submit designs. 

Mr. Ranney proposed, as an amendment, that a connnittee 
of three be appointed, with full power to consult with the 



Secretary of War and secure and adopt an artistic design 
for the monument. 

The amendment of Mr. Ranney was thereupon put and 

carried. 

Senators Bayard and Hawley and Representative Beach 
were thereupon appointed such subcommittee. 

The subcommittee thereafter met and adopted the follow- 
ing resolution: 

RfSPlved, That, in the execution of the duty devolved upon them 
by the joint resoUition of Congress entitled "Joint resolution con- 
cerning the erection of a memorial coUnnn at Washington's Head- 
quarters at NewlKirgh, New York," approved March 3, 1S83, this 
committee hereby recommends that the sum of $750, part of the sum 
appropriated, should be expended in equal suins in furtherance of 
the work by the Secretary of War in procuring from the artists herein- 
after named sketches and plans suggestive of the memorial structure 
contemplated by the joint resolution, in order that this committee 
may be properly instructed in relation thereto; and that, in order to 
inform the artists of the scale of expenditure involved, a copy of the 
joint resolution and a statement of the amount appropriated thereby 
and the sum of money deposited by the State of New York for the 
same object, shall be communicated to them. 

Names of artists : Augustus St. Gaudens, Launt Thompson, 
William R. O'Donovan, H. K. Bu;he Brown, J. Q. A. Ward. 

In pursuance of this resolution the Secretary of War 
invited the artists in question to furnish designs. 

Augustus St. Gaudens and Launt Thompson declined to 
supply designs, while the other three sent in designs. 

The plans submitted by J. O. A. Ward, H. K. Bushe 
Brown, and William R. O'Donovan severally possessed ver\- 
marked merit, but they failed to impress the committee with 
being just what was required for the particular monument 
at the particular place in question. 



96 The Centennial Celebration and 

Upon this point the committee, after mnch reflection, 
had come to the conclusion that the most appropriate mon- 
ument to carry out the spirit of the joint resolution would 
be a structure of rude but imposing nature, built of the 
native stone. Such a structure would typify the rugged 
simplicity of the times and personages it was intended to 
commemorate. 

In addition to this, the site of the proposed monument 
afforded an opportunity for distant display, which could not 
well be ignored. The grounds are on a bluff overlooking 
the river, and in full view of travelers on the cars and 
passing steam-boats. The monument therefore should be 
of sufficient proportions to attract the eye of the millions 
who annually pass up and down the river. 

Another fact to which the attention of the committee was 
called was that these Headquarters are visited every year by 
thousands of excursionists from the city of New York and 
tourists from all parts of the world. A very natural, and 
probably the first, impulse of strangers visiting a monu- 
ment is to ascend it, and for this reason the committee was 
of opinion that if the structure to be erected could be sur- 
mounted by an accessible outlook it would be a very desir- 
able feature. 

Another conclusion to which the committee was forced 
at an early date was that the amount appropriated for the 
monument was entirely inadequate to secure an imposing 
work of art. It was therefore thought best to devote the 
appropriation to the erection of a structure which could be 
used hereafter as a receptacle for such artistic productions, 
in the shape of tablets and statues, as future generations 
might provide. 



Was/ihigtoii Monmiiciit at A'f7cbiiro/i, A\ }'. 97 

Impressed with these views, the committee commissioned 
Mr. Maurice J. Power, of New York, who has had a wide 
experience and great success in monumental structures, to 
prepare a design. Mr. Power called to his aid Mr. John 
H. Duncan, of New York, artist and architect. 

The design prepared by Mr. Duncan and adopted b>- the 
committee represents a Tower of Victory, built of native 
stone, of a rectangidar form. The dimensions or ground 
lines are 37 by 32 feet, with a total height of 53 feet. 

Four large archways open into the atrium, one on each 
side. 

In the center of the atrium, upon a polished pedestal of 
red granite, will stand a life-size bronze statue of Washing- 
ton, modeled by the sculptor O' Donovan. 

From the ground floor two commodious circular stair- 
cases (one for ascent and the other for descent) lead to a 
belvedere, or open outlook, capable of holding over three 
hundred persons. 

The view from the belvedere will prove a very attractive 
feature to the thousands of strangers who visit these Head- 
quarters every year. It embraces a broad expanse of river 
and mountain scenery, with outlying valleys. North and 
South Beacon, upon whose towering tops the signal fires 
were lit during the Revolution, are directly in front, whilst 
to the right will be .seen the Northern Gate to the High- 
lands and West Point in the distance. 

The belvedere will be surmoinited b\- an iron and tile 
roof, affording protection from sun and rain. The roof will 
be supported by thirteen massive cohunns, upon whicli the 
shields of the thirteen original States may be eventually 
placed. 

H. Mis, 601 7 



98 The Cciitciniial Celebration and 

The interior walls are to be provided with recesses for the 
reception of bas-reliefs and medallions, which can be sup- 
plied in the future. 

The exterior walls will be furnished with four niches, two 
on the river side and two on the west side. These are in- 
tended to receive bronze figures of an allegorical character 
or statues of Washington's four favorite generals. 

A tablet will be set on the exterior west wall, with such 
commemorative inscriptions as may hereafter be agreed 
upon. 







^^^«M/»f^^f*^yr 



The Washington Monument at Newburgh. 



Washington Monument at Ncwburgh, N. Y. 99 



APPENDIX, 



Letter from the Secret ary,oJ' J I i?r, trans/n/tt/ng, in compli- 
ance zvith a resolution of the House^ a report upon the 
present condition of the Monument at Jl'ashingto)/'' s Head- 
tjuarlers, Neivburgh^ New York. 

War Department, 
Washington City, May 25, 1888. 

Sir : In compliance with the following resolution of the House of 
Representatives, I have the honor to submit herewith a copy of the 
report of Col. John M. Wilson, U. S. Army, in charge of public build- 
ings and grounds in this city, in reference to the present condition of 
the Monument at Washington's Headquarters in the city of New- 
buigh. New York: 

May 23, 1888. 

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, requested to transmit 
to this House copies of all reports made to him by the Engineers of the War De- 
partment, or others, relating to the present condition of the work on the Monument 
at Washington's Headquarters, in the city of Newburgh, State of New York, 
and any other information relating to the same in possession of his Department, 
together with any recommendation he may deem proper to make in relation to the 
completeness thereof according to the plans adopted therefor by the Joint Com- 
mittee of the Senate of the United States and this House. 

This monument was constructed in accordance with the joint res- 
olution of Congress approved March 3, 1883, which provides as 
follows : 

Kesolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of 
Aiiieriea in Con^-'ess assembled, That sections two and three of the joint resolu- 
tion of Congress approved July first, eighteen hundred and eighty two, authorizing 
the Secretary of War to erect at Washington's Headquarters, in the city of New- 
burgh, New York, a memorial column and to aid in defraying the expenses at the 
•centennial celebration to be held at that city in the year eighteen hundred and 



100 The Centennial Celebration and 

eighty three, be, and the same are hereby, amended so as to read as follows: 
"That the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be 
necessary, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be expended, under the direction of the 
Secretary of War, in the erection of a suitable monument or column on the grounds 
belonging to the State of New York and known as Washington's Headquarters, 
with such inscriptions and emblems as may properly commemorate the historical- 
events which occurred at Newburgh and vicinity during the war of the Revolu- 
tion : Providtd, That the design for said monument or column, with the inscrip- 
tions and emblems to be placed thereon, shall be subject to the approval and 
adoption of the Joint Select Committee directed to be appointed by the joint resolu- 
tion to which this is an amendment: And piiniided further, That no part of the 
said sum of twenty-five thousand dollars shall be used in defraying the expenses of 
said centennial celebration." 

The joint resolution of July i, 1882, which was amended, pro- 
vided — 

That a Joint Select Committee be created, to consist of five Senators, to be ap- 
pointed by the Presiding Officer of the Senate, and eight Represent.atives, to be 
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Various plans were submitted to this committee, and on June 5, 
1886, Hon. T. F. Bayard and Hon. Joseph R. Hawley, composing 
a subcommittee, in pursuance of power delegated to them by the 
Joint Select Committee, selected the plan submitted by Mr. M. J. 
Power, of New York. A contract was made between the United 
States and Mr. Power on June 25, 1886, and work commenced in 
the summer of that year and practically completed by the last of 
December, 1887. 

Upon the original plan, signed by the subcommittee, there are 
sketches of statues resting upon projections on the exterior of the 
monument, and the specifications of the original contract state- 
There will be four niches on exterior of monument to receive statues of a deco- 
rative nature, but these statues do not form a part of the contract. 

It is to be presumed therefore that it was the intention of the Joint 
ComiTiittee to include these statues in tlie plan that met its approval, 
and that the statues were omitted because the money available was 
not sufficient to procure them. A copy of the plan is inclo.sed. 

For the protection of the interior of the structure, bronze gates at 
the four entrances have been suggested, although there appears to 



U'nshiiiQtoit Afoiiitiiitrii' a/ Xi'7cliitro/i^ X. )'. 101 

have been no provision for tliem in the original plans and specifica- 
tions. 

The officer in charge, Col. John M. Wilson, has recommended that 
a watchman be employed by the United States to take care of the 
monument. 

The estimates, which are submitted for the consideration of Con- 
gress, are as follows : 

Four bronze statues, at ;?5,ooo each $20, 000 

Four bronze gales, at S;,ooo each 12, 000 

Salary of watclniian for one year 500 

32,500 

It will be observed that of the above only the statues were included 
in the original plan ; but the bronze gates at the entrances to the 
monument and the attendance of a watchman are necessary for the 
protection anrl care of the whole structure. 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

William C. Endicott, 

SeciYtaiy of War. 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives. 



Report of Col. Jolni M. Jl'ihoii, U. S. Arjiiy. 

War Department, 
J]'ashi?igti!n, D. C, February 29, 18 

Mr. Secretary: I have the honor to report that the Monument 
at Washington's Headquarters, Newburgh, New York, constructed 
under contract dated June 25, 1886, by Mr. M. J. Power, of New 
York City, has been completed and accepted. 

This work was commenced in the summer of 1886, and the foun- 
dation was com])leted about the middle of October of that year. By 
direction of the Secretary of War I relieved Col. T. L. Casey, Corps 
of Engineers, of the charge of the work October 20, 1886, operations 
for the season being then sus])ended. 

Work was renewed May 3, 1887, and. with the exception of a few 
minor details, was satisfactorily coni]ileted on December 31, 1887. 



102 The Ccnioinial Cdcbratioi/ and 

The building is rectangular in plan, and measures 30 by 24 feet 
on the interior. 37 by 31 feet on the exterior, 46 feet from foundation 
to top of masonry work, and 53 feet to the top of roof. 

The upper portion, or belvedere, has openings on all sides, and is 
reached by two spiral stair-ways, the height from floor to floor being 
27,Yi feet. 

Foundation. — The foundation of the building and pedestal are of 
concrete, made of one part Rosendale cement, one of sand, and two 
of broken stone. 

Masonry. — The masonry is rock-faced broken ashlar work, set in 
mortar made of one part Rosendale cement and one part of sand; 
the stone for the most part was obtained from a quarry near New- 
burgh, and is of a hard limestone nature and a bluish color ; it is 
seamy in character, and there was much difficulty in obtaining jamb 
and arch-cut stones. 

The stones for the sills, piers, and lintels were obtained from a 
quarry near Albany. They are a little lighter in color, but of much 
. better quality than those from the Newburgh quarry. 

The work is well and solidly built, and contains about 427 cubic 
yards of stone. 

Brick-work. — The interior of the building is finished with Perth 
Amboy terra-cotta brick, set in struck joints ; the mortar is of one 
part Portland cement and one part sand, with a small quantity of 
lime to prevent cement setting too (juickly ; the brick below the 
belvedere floor are 12 by 4 by ij4 inches; those in the belvedere 
and floor arches are 8 by 4 by 2;4 inches. 

The brick-work contains about 68 cubic yards, well bonded to the 
stone-work by iron anchors. 

While Indiana sandstone. — The ornamental bands that extend 
around the building and arches and the brackets and hoods on the 
east and west fronts are of white Indiana sandstone; the stone are 
good and sound and workmanship excellent. 

Bhiestone Jiagging. — The floor of the belvedere is finished with 
bluestone flags, each 6 feet square and 4 inches thick ; they are set 
in Pordand cement on a bed of concrete ; the stone are of excellent 
quality. 

Granite. — The steps at the four entrances and the 9-inch border 
around the interior of the building and around the base of the pedes- 



U'as/iiiigtoit Moiiiiiiiiii/ ir/ \<':rhi<rg/i^ N. )'. 103 

tal are of Concord, New Hampshire, granite; the Ijase stone of the 
pedestal is of Quincy, Massachusetts, granite. 

Tik rflofing. — The roof is of Akron, Ohio, salt-ghized corrugated 
tile; those on the ridge and hifis arc semicircular in cross-section, 
and each tile is fastened to the iron roof work with two copper 
wirings; the hip and ridge tile are set and pointed with Portland 
cement. 

Ground floor. — The ground floor, which consists of a bed of broken 
stone 10 inches deep, covered with 6 inches of concrete, is finished 
with a paving of cobble-stone set in Portland cement and sand, the 
spaces between the stones being flushed with Portland cement grouting. 

Pfdestal. — The pedestal on which the statue stands is of red and 
gray polished granite, from St. John, New Brunswick ; it is 4 feet 3 
inches high, 3 feet i inch square at base, and 2 feet 8 inches sijuare 
at top ; the corners at the base are rounded, and bronze crabs are 
[ilaced under them. 

Iron-work. — The floor beams, roof frame, channel bars, and rail- 
ings are of wrought iron ; the is-inch floor beams weigh 200 pounds 
to the yard; the ridge and hips of roof are 9-inch beams, weighing 
69 pounds to the yard, and the rafters are 6-inch beams, weighing 
40 pounds to the yard ; the roof frame rests on shoes bolted to the 
stone-work. 

There are two circular stair-cases extending from the ground floor 
to the belvedere ; these are secured to wrought-iron supports built 
into the masonry; the strings for stairs, treads, risers, and platforms 
are of cast-iron. 

All of the iron received two coats of red-leail and three coats of 
dark olive-green paint. 

Bronze-work. — The statue, tablet, crab wedges, and bolts are of 
bronze, made of 90 parts copper, 7 of tin, and 3 of zinc; the statue 
is 6 feet 2 inches m height, and represents General Washington in 
the position of "return saber," the saber havingjust been driven home 
and the hand resting on the hilt; it stands upon an ornamental [jlintli 
lo inches high, and is anchored by two bolts to the pedestal ; the crab 
wedges are bolted to the base stone. 

The tablet containing the inscription prepared by the Congres- 
sional Committee is anchored into the masonry on the east front by 
four bolts. 



104 The Coittiniial Cclebratioii and 

The bronze-work weighs about 1,200 pounds. 

The workmanship of the whole Monument is excellent, and the 
contract has been completed to my satisfaction. The total cost of 
the work, including advertising, plans, supervision, etc., has been 
335,000. Before the Monument can be called complete, however, 
there should be statues placed upon the four brackets on the east and 
west fronts ; bronze gates should be erected at the four entrances, 
and a bronze railing around the statue and pedestal, to protect them 
from the vandalism of relic-hunters. 

It is estimated that the cost of the work suggested would be as 
follows : 

Four bronze statues, at $5,000 each $20,000 

Four bronze gates, .at $3,000 each 12,000 

A bronze railing, with four granite posts, around the statue and pedestal, 3, 700 

It is recommended that an appropriation for the railing be imme- 
diately recjuested of Congress ; the other two items of the statues 
and the gates are respectfully suggested for the consideration of the 
Secretary of War. The railing is necessary for the protection of the 
statue from vandalism, and its immediate construction is very desir- 
able. Bronze is suggested as more suitable than iron in so prominent 
a structure. 

I respectfully invite attention to the fact that steps should be 
taken for the protection of this valuable and interesting monument. 
Upon its transfer to the United States the contractor's watchman 
was withdrawn, and had it not been for the courtesy of the Board of 
Trustees of Washington's Headquarters, Newburgh, New York, which 
directed its watchman to assume charge of the work, it would have 
been left to the mercy of relic-hunters. The Board of Trustees has 
placed wooden gates at the entrances, and has agreed to continue 
the temjjorary charge until Congress provides a watchman. 

I respectfully recommend that the attention of Congress be called 
to this matter and an estimate submitted for the salary of a watch- 
man at an annual compensation of $500; possibly arrangements 
could be made with the Board of Trustees of the Headquarters 
whereby its watchman would continue in charge by paying him a 
small annual salary in addition to that received from the Newburgh 
Board. 



Washingto)! .\fo)titi)uut at Nc7i'biirgli^ X. Y. 10") 

In conclusion, 1 desire to commend to the Secretary of War Cor- 
poral Martin O'Connor, of Company E, Battalion of Engineers, 
who has acted as United States inspector of this work for the past 
eight months, and who, in the discharge of his official duties, has 
displayed zeal, intelligence, skill, and energy 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

John M. Wilson, 

Colonel, U. S. Army. 
The Secretary of War, 

Washhioion, D. C. 



Extract from Appropriation Bill, Fiftieth Co)igress, First 

Session. 

For the completion of the monument at Washington's Headquar- 
ters at Newburgh, New York, and of the statues thereon, according 
to the plans adopted by the joint select committee of the Senate and 
House of Representatives, under joint resolution of the two Houses, 
and for gates therein, according to the recommendation of the Secre- 
tary of War, contained in Executive Document numbered three hun- 
dred and thirty-six. Fiftieth Congress, first session, to be expended 
under the direction of the Secretary of War, thirty-two thousand 
dollars. 

H. Mis, 601 8 



